Many, many things: You should have an echocardiogram, if you have not had one already. Most people who get endocarditis (an infection - usually bacterial but may be fungal and others) have a previously damaged valve, sometimes from rheumatic fever or mitral valve prolapse and then get germs into the bloodstream, sometimes from a dental procedure or even brushing teeth, particularly if there is bad gum disease.
Answered 8/16/2016
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Several other causes: The doctor was correct to ask! IV drug abuse is a common cause of endocarditis. He needed to know if that was the reason, because then both problems can be addressed: the infection and the drug abuse. Other causes may be bacterial, fungal, etc. Sources can be the mouth, urinary tract or colon, from recent procedures. See: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Infective_endocarditis#Infection_setting
Answered 8/17/2016
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