[Differential diagnosis of infective endocarditis and fevers of unrelated genesis].
Case histories of 84 patients with fevers lasting from 2 weeks to 6 months and suspected infective endocarditis (IE) were analyzed. Infective endocarditis was diagnosed in 15 patients. From the viewpoint of IE diagnosis by the DUKE criteria, the major criteria possess the highest diagnostic value. Use of only minor DUKE criteria gave false-positive results in diagnosis of IE in feverish patients with angiitis, hemopoietic diseases, and malignant tumors with remote metastases. The diagnosis of IE should be based on the DUKE criteria, clinical picture, and data of laboratory tests (pericarditis, shift of the leukocytic formula to the left, increased level of circulating immune complexes, high erythrocyte sedimentation rate, etc.).