Bacterial endocarditis is also called as subacute bacterial endocarditis, SBE. Bacterial endocarditis is caused by bacteria that enter the bloodstream of the person and attack the heart valves. Traditionally, bacterial endocarditis causes holes, growths or scars on the valve, which usually result in the leaky heart valve. If not cured, bacterial endocarditis can cause death.

As a rule, bacteria are found in the intestines, in the urinary tract, in the mouth and on the skin. When the bacteria get into the bloodstream, endocarditis starts.

There are three categories of people who are prone to the condition.

The first category includes those who are most prone to bacterial endocarditis. They are people with a prosthetic (artificial) heart valve, including homograft and bioprosthetic heart valves. The category also includes the people who have had the condition in the past. They are people with surgically constructed conduits and shunts. They are patients suffering from different heart diseases.

The second category includes those who have the moderate level of risk. They are those with different heart diseases, with an acquired valve disease, such as rheumatic heart disease. Patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy fall into this category.

As for the third category, it represents the people whose risk of getting bacterial endocarditis is not much higher than that of the general population. They are people with surgical repair of PFO or VSD or ASD, functional, innocent or physiologic heart murmurs, implanted defibrillators and cardiac pacemakers and others.

If you want to protect yourself from the condition, it is necessary to consult your doctor first and to ask him to what category you are related to and whether you require any protection from bacterial endocarditis. If you belong to the last group where the risk is rather low, you do not have a risk of getting the condition. It is worthy of note that those people who have no underlying heart diseases develop bacterial endocarditis very rarely and need no special endocarditis protection.

But if you belong to the high-risk category, you are advised to take into consideration the following guidelines.

First of all, you should tell your doctor and dentist that you have a high risk of developing endocarditis.

It is recommended to call your doctor at once in case you have some symptoms of the condition. Remember that colds and flus do not cause endocarditis. As for the infections with the same symptoms, such as fever, body aches and sore throat, they are able to cause the condition.
It is of paramount importance to take good care of your gums and teeth. Visit your dentist every six months. Don't forget about regular brushing and flossing your teeth. Make sure that your dentures fit you properly.

Try to take the prescribed antibiotics before the procedures that may cause bleeding, which include various dental procedures causing bleeding, different invasive tests, minor or major surgeries including stomach, bowel, urinary tract, prostate, respiratory tract, intestines, colon and gall bladder.