Article Text
Summary
A usually fit and well 69-year-old woman presented with headache and altered consciousness. Initial clinical findings and investigations were consistent with a diagnosis of pneumococcal meningitis and pneumonia. Cultures of blood and cerebrospinal fluid grew Streptococcus pneumoniae. The patient continued to spike temperatures and developed cardiac failure. A transoesophageal echocardiogram demonstrated a large vegetation of the aortic valve causing severe aortic regurgitation. A diagnosis of Austrian syndrome, the triad of pneumococcal meningitis, pneumonia and endocarditis, was made. The patient has completed a course of appropriate antibiotic therapy and is awaiting aortic valve surgery.
Statistics from Altmetric.com
Footnotes
Competing interests: None.
Patient consent: Patient/guardian consent was obtained for publication.