Insight into the epidemiology of infective endocarditis in Portugal: a contemporary nationwide study from 2010 to 2018

BACKGROUND: Nationwide hospital admissions data series have contributed to a reliable assessment of the changing epidemiology of infective endocarditis, even though conclusions are not uniform. We sought to use a recent populational series to describe the temporal trends on the incidence of infective endocarditis, its clinical characteristics and outcome results, in Portugal. METHODS: A nationwide retrospective temporal trend study on the incidence and clinical characterization of patients hospitalized with infective endocarditis, between 2010 and 2018. RESULTS: 7574 patients were hospitalized with infective endocarditis from 2010 to 2018 in Portuguese public hospitals. The average length of hospitalization was 29.3 ± 28.7 days, predominantly men (56.9%), and 47.1% had between 60 and 79 years old. The most frequent infectious agents involved were Staphylococcus (16.4%) and Streptococcus (13.6%). During hospitalization, 12.4% of patients underwent heart valve surgery and 20% of the total cohort died. After a 1-year post-discharge follow-up, 13.2% of the total initial cohort had had heart valve surgery and 21.2% in total died. The annual incidence of infective endocarditis was 8.31 per 100,000 habitants, being higher in men (9.96 per 100,000 in males versus 6.82 in females, p < 0.001) and increased with age, peaking at patients 80 years old or older (40.62 per 100,000). In-hospital mortality rate significantly increased during the analyzed period, the strongest independent predictors being ischemic or hemorrhagic stroke, sepsis, and acute renal failure. Younger age and cardiac surgery had a protective effect towards a fatal outcome. CONCLUSIONS: In Portugal, between 2010 and 2018, the incidence of infective endocarditis presented a general growth trend with a deceleration in the most recent years. Also, a significant rate of in-hospital complications, a mildly lower than expected stable surgical rate and a still high and growing mortality rate were noted. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12872-021-01937-3.