Table 2. Clinical and echocardiographic characteristics of AE and non-fungal IE groups.
| Variable | Aspergillus (n = 31) |
Non-fungal (n = 331) |
p-value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Clinical characteristics | |||
| Age, years | 30.7 ±16.43 | 32.4 ±12.01 | 0.548 |
| Male gender | 16 (51.6) | 203 (61.3) | 0.29 |
| Symptom duration before referral, days | 28 (57) | 30 (66) | 0.509 |
| Fever | 21 (67.7) | 306 (92.4) | < 0.001 |
| CVS* at presentation | 3 (10) | 58 (17.5) | 0.292 |
| Acute limb ischemia at presentation | 5 (21.7) | 19 (5.7) | 0.014 |
| Predisposing factors | |||
| HAE | 27 (87.1) | 55 (16.6) | < 0.001 |
| IV drug abuse | 2 (6.5) | 37 (11.2) | 0.555 |
| Dialysis | 1 (3.2) | 22 (6.6) | 0.707 |
| Malignancy | 0 | 6 (1.8) | 1.0 |
| DM | 1 (3.6) | 18 (5.4) | 1.0 |
| Chronic steroid therapy / Collagen disease | 1 (3.2) | 21 (6.3) | 0.708 |
| Prior IE | 0 | 13 (3.9) | 0.614 |
| Underlying heart disease | |||
| Normal heart | 5 (16.1) | 69 (20.8) | 0.533 |
| Rheumatic heart disease | 8 (25.8) | 120 (36.3) | 0.245 |
| Congenital heart disease | 2 (6.5) | 29 (8.8) | 1.0 |
| Prosthetic valve | 20 (64.5) | 82 (24.8) | < 0.001 |
| Echocardiographic characteristics | |||
| Mitral vegetations | 10 (32.3) | 178 (53.8) | 0.022 |
| Aortic vegetations | 13 (41.9) | 115 (34.7) | 0.423 |
| Right-sided IE | 3 (9.7) | 63 (19) | 0.197 |
| Non-valvular vegetations | 6 (19.4) | 14 (4.2) | 0.004 |
| Aortotomy site vegetations | 11(33.3) | 0 | < 0.001 |
| Aortic abscess / pseudoaneurysm | 13 (43.3) | 36 (10.9) | < 0.001 |
| TTE diagnostic | 12 (52.2) | 203 (61.3) | 0.385 |
| EF % | 58.4 ± 9.02 | 61.2 ± 10.48 | 0.215 |
Data are presented as mean ± SD, n (column %), or median (interquartile range).
*CVS, cerebro-vascular accident.