After a routine trip to the dentist, a Vancouver resident developed a deadly heart infection, as well as a bizarre, bulging lump on his right hand.
The curious case was published in the prestigious New England Journal of Medicine by UBC doctors Bashaar K. Alibrahim and George Wharmby.
The 27-year-old was diagnosed with endocarditis, an inflammation of the heart’s inner lining that is caused by bacteria. Just one in 30,000 people come down with the infection every year in the U.K. and U.S.
Even more curious, the infection appeared to have been triggered by a visit to a dentist. Alibrahim and Wharmby speculate that it was “possibly related to poor oral hygiene and a recent dental procedure.”
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