[Infective endocarditis successfully treated by early medical therapy in a patient with Henoch-Schönlein purpura nephritis under oral steroid therapy].

A 29-year-old man was admitted to our hospital because of high fever and dyspnea. About two months before this admission the patient was diagnosed as Henoch-Schönlein purpura nephritis who was treated with 40 mg/day of prednisolone(PSL). When the dose of PSL was decreased to 32.5 mag/day, his temperature was 40 degrees C, the pulse was 120 beats per minute and the blood pressure was 71/36 mmHg. In the peripheral blood study, the white blood cell count was 23,800/microL and C-reactive protein was 6.1 mg/dL. He was diagnosed as bilateral lower lung pneumonia by chest-computed tomography findings, non-segmental and high-density consolidation of the bilateral lower lungs. Streptococcus pneumoniae was detected from blood culture. Therefore it was concluded that sepsis was caused by severe pneumonia. Thereafter infective endocarditis was diagnosed from the findings of vegetation of both the tricuspid and mitral valves detected by ultrasonic cardiography. Infective endocarditis resulted from septicemia caused by Streptococcus pneumoniae. The infection related endocarditis was completely healed by early treatment including an adequate quantity of penicillin G with high sensitivity. There have been few case reports of infective endocarditis in patients with nephritis under steroid therapy. Steroid therapy is widely used in patients with various types of nephritis including IgA nephropathy and focal segmental glomerular sclerosis in addition to Henoch-Shönlein purpura. Infective endocarditis should be recognized as a complication of steroid treatment of these patients.