A 23-year-old patient presents the emergency department with high fever,chills,extreme fatigue,and arthralgias.Your physical examination reveals grade II heart murmur heard loudest over the fourth intercostal space left sternal border.The arms of the patient reveal past intravenous drug abuse.The clinician should recognize these are signs and symptoms of:

Question

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The combination of high fever, chills, extreme fatigue, and arthralgias in a patient with a history of intravenous drug abuse and a grade II heart murmur suggests bacterial endocarditis, which is an infection of the inner lining of the heart and heart valves. The heart murmur is likely due to valvular damage from the infection. Pulmonary embolism and right ventricular failure may cause similar symptoms, but they would not be associated with a heart murmur. Functional heart murmurs are typically innocent and not associated with symptoms such as fever and joint pain.

A 23-Year-Old Patient Presents the Emergency Department with High Fever,chills,extreme