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After getting her
navel pierced, a 13-year-old girl with congenital heart disease
contracted a life-threatening infection of the membrane lining
her heart, known as endocarditis.
People with heart-related
abnormalities are advised to take antibiotics prior to having
procedures such as surgery or dental work because bacteria
can gain access to the bloodstream during these events. If
the bacteria enter the body, it can affect the valves of the
heart, causing endocarditis. If left untreated, the infection
can fatally destroy the heart muscle.
Currently there
are no recommendations advising people with such conditions
to take antibiotics preventively before having a piercing
or tattoo. However, researchers note that this event suggests
that people should be warned of the risks of infection.
Infective endocarditis
is the fourth leading cause of infection-related death in
the United States. Recently, there have been repeated reports
of people developing infectious endocarditis after body piercing.
The 13-year-old
girl reportedly became seriously ill one month after piercing
her own navel. She had been born with a heart malformation
that had been surgically corrected when she was 3 years old.
The girl said she had removed the piercing after two days
because it looked infected.
Tests revealed
that she had an infection with Staphylococcus aureus in one
of the valves in her heart. The girl was treated with heart
surgery and antibiotics and released from the hospital after
22 days.
People who are
born with heart malformations have a risk of endocarditis
with naval piercing, as well as piercing of other parts of
the body. Researchers say these patients should be warned
of this risk along with other more common piercing risks.
The
Pediatric Infectious Disease Journal January, 2003;22:94-96
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