Occurrence of fatal infective endocarditis: a population-based study in Finland

Infective endocarditis (IE) is a serious mainly bacterial infection associated with high mortality. Epidemiology of fatal IE is however largely unknown. We studied occurrence and trends of fatal IE in a population-based setting.

All adults (≥18 years of age) who deceased due to IE in Finland during 2004-2016 were studied. Data was collected from the nationwide, obligatory Cause of Death Registry. Background population consisted of 28,657,870 person-years and 651,556 deaths.

Infective endocarditis contributed to death in 754 cases and was the underlying cause of death in 352 cases. The standardized incidence rate of deaths associated with IE was 1.42 (95% confidence interval (CI): 1.32-1.52) per 100,000 person-years. Incidence rate increased progressively with aging from 50 years of age. Men had a two-fold risk of acquiring fatal infective endocarditis compared to women (risk ratio (RR) 1.95; 95% CI: 1.71-2.22; P < 0.0001). On average, IE contributed to 1.16 (95% CI: 1.08-1.24) out of 1000 deaths in general adult population. The proportionate amount of deaths with IE was highest in population aged < 40 years followed by gradual decrease with aging. Incidence rate and proportion of deaths caused by IE remained stable during the study period.

Our study describes for the first time the population-based epidemiology of fatal IE in adults. Men had a two-fold risk of acquiring fatal IE compared to women. Although occurrence of fatal IE increased with aging, the proportion of deaths to which IE contributed was highest in young adult population.