5. Shortness of Breath and Chest Pain when Breathing
The bacteria that are causing endocarditis infection spread through the bloodstream, infecting multiple organs, including the lungs. The bacteria may start to cause shortness of breath, and the patient may begin to struggle with walking to the car to go to the emergency room or navigating a flight of stairs at the doctor’s office.
The patient may also start to experience chest pain when breathing, as the infection begins to infest the alveoli and bronchial tubes in the lungs. Chest pain symptoms may also occur due to significant amounts of inflammation in the endocardial lining in the heart, causing chest pain when breathing as well.
Doctors may place the patient on oxygen while they start emergency treatment with antibiotics, and assess the patient’s state. Chest pain is always a serious concern for any doctor, and the physician may want to take an MRI of your chest or an X-ray to look at the extent of the infection.