INFECTIVE ENDOCARDITIS AMONG HOSPITALIZED INTRAVENOUS DRUG USER PATIENTS IN THE SOUTH WEST OF IRAN

Objectives: To determine the frequency of Infective Endocarditis (IE), clinical, echocardiographic and microbiological status at a teaching hospital in Ahvaz, South West Iran. Methodology: Medical records of 323 Intravenous Drug User (IDU) inpatients from 2001 to 2006 were reviewed, out of which 33 cases that fulfilled the Duke criteria for diagnosis were included in the present study. The patients' characteristics, clinical findings, microbiological findings, echocardigraphic and comorbidities data were extracted. Data of patients with IE and without IE were compared in SPSS using t-test and chi square test. Results: Patients with IE were 32 male and one female cases with a mean age of 26.2 years. Non IE patients were 288 male and two female cases with mean age of 37.8 years. Nineteen of our patients were HIV positive. There was statistically significant difference between HIV-positive and HIV-negative patients. Weight loss and fever were the commonest clinical findings. Staphylococcus aureus was the most common organism (24.2%) followed by coagolase negative staphylococcus (15.1%), most of them were methiciline resistant. Tricuspid valve was involved in 33.3% of cases. Conclusion: Frequency of Infective Endocarditis (IE) among Intravenous Drug User (IDU) is higher than reported in earlier studies. HIV infection increases the risk of IE. Methicilin resistant Staphylococcus aureus is the commonest organism. Tricuspid is the commonest involved cardiac valve.