Bacterial Endocarditis and IV Drug Use

IV Drug Use & Bacterial Endocarditis

People can abuse drugs in many different ways; they can be snorted, ingested, smoked, or injected. Drugs that are injected are liquid put into the body by a needle and syringe. Injectable drugs can be injected into a vein known as intravenous or IV or into the muscle intramuscularly or just under the skin, called subcutaneous. Injectable drugs include the following; 

• Heroin 
• Methamphetamines 
• Cocaine 
• Prescription medications 

Almost all drugs can be injected, except marijuana, but heroin and other injectable opioids are commonly injected. Drugs that are available in tablet form, like most prescription medications, are usually crushed into a powder and then dissolved into a liquid like water, and then it is injected. IV drug use is commonly the most popular method of injecting drug abuse, and so it can create a lot of health risks and concerns. 

Long Term Health Risks of IV Drug Use 

IV Drug abuse can increase the risk of getting many other infectious diseases, including the human immunodeficiency virus, HIV, which causes an acquired immune deficiency syndrome, or AIDS, of which there is not an acceptable cure at this moment in time.

HIV is passed to other people by sharing needles, which many IV drug users do and so they can pass on other diseases to each other by mixing their blood and other bodily fluids.

Sharing IV needles can also lead to sharing and spreading other diseases, including Hepatitis B and Hepatitis C, which affect the liver and lead to liver failure, cancer, cirrhosis, or permanent scarring.  

Skin infection can also be common in IV drug users, and abusers may not know the additives that are in the drug they are using.

“One study reported in the British Journal for Dermatology discovered that in confiscated injected drugs, 89 percent of them were contaminated with pathogens and 68 percent of the street drug heroin contained multiple or various pathogens.”

Pathogens can cause disease and because certain amounts of these pathogens can have bacteria or fungi, leading IV drug users to develop other skin abscesses or infections. Not sterilizing equipment such as syringes and needles can also increase the risk for bacterial infections and other diseases.  

Chronic IV drug use can also cause vascular scarring, often referred to as “track marks” which is a noticeable and permanent side effect of abusing needle drugs. Other potential health risks that come with using IV drugs for a prolonged amount of time include; 

• Endocarditis 
• Chronic Venous Insufficiency (CVI)  
• Thrombosis 
• Musculoskeletal Infections 
• Substance abuse disorder or addiction 

Having a history of intravenous illegal drug use puts you at a higher risk of getting endocarditis because the needles used to inject these drugs have the chance of being contaminated with the types of bacteria that can cause endocarditis. 

Symptoms

Symptoms can begin severely and suddenly, or the opposite, they can come not very severe and slowly. The following symptoms may be included:  

• Fever  
• Chills 
• Night sweats 
• Fatigue 
• Aching muscles 
• Difficulty breathing when doing activities 
• Shortness of breath when lying down 
• Cough 
• Nausea 
• Vomiting 
• Headaches 
• Blood in the urine 
• Swelling of legs, feet, or abdomen 
• Weight Gain 
• Unusual skin changes that may include  
• Sore red or purple bumps found on the fingers or toes 
• Painless, small flat red spots on the skin, under fingernails, on whites of your eyes, and inside the mouth. 

What causes Bacterial Endocarditis?

Certain kinds of bacteria naturally live on and in the body. Bacteria live everywhere- in the mouth, respiratory system, skin, digestive tract, etc. But occasionally, these different kinds of bacteria can get into the bloodstream. Bacteria gets into the bloodstream in several different ways; it can happen after certain medical procedures or dental procedures where the skin breaks or other tissue does. 

Sometimes the bacteria can go into the bloodstream and possibly settle on the heart lining or on the valves of the heart. However, not all kinds of bacteria can cause this type of infection. Two kinds of bacteria cause most cases of bacterial endocarditis. There is staphylococci, also known as a staph infection, and streptococci, also known as strep. If you already have heart valve problems or heart problems, you are at increased risk of this bacteria taking hold of your heart and growing. But, it is rare for a person who does not have heart problems to suffer from endocarditis.  

Who Is At Risk For Bacterial Endocarditis?

Many factors can increase the chances of getting bacterial endocarditis, which include; 

• Intravenous or IV drug use 
• Hemodialysis for kidney failure (a medical procedure that removes fluid and waste product from the blood to correct any imbalances) 
• Heart valve disease, like a leaking or narrowed valve 
• Rheumatic heart disease is caused by strep bacteria 
• Artificial heart valve replacement 
• Congenital heart disease present at birth 
• Previous diagnosis of endocarditis 
• Poor dental hygiene 
• Artificial heart valves or valve repair 
• A heart transplant with a leaky heart valve 
• Weak immune system