Meaning & use
endocarditis
Last updated
Meaning
noununcountablemedical
inflammation of the inner lining of the heart, usually caused by infection
Grammar: Used as an uncountable noun: Endocarditis is serious. To count cases, say 'a case of endocarditis'.
Patterns
- bacterial endocarditis
- infective endocarditis
- a case of endocarditis
The doctor diagnosed him with bacterial endocarditis.
Infective endocarditis can damage heart valves if not treated quickly.
She was hospitalized for endocarditis and received antibiotics.
Common combinations
- bacterial endocarditis
- Bacterial endocarditis requires prompt antibiotic treatment.
- infective endocarditis
- Infective endocarditis often affects people with existing heart problems.
- a case of endocarditis
- The hospital reported a rare case of endocarditis.
- endocarditis treatment
- Endocarditis treatment usually involves several weeks of antibiotics.
Word family
- endocardial adjective
- Relating to the endocardium, the inner lining of the heart.
- endocardium noun
- The membrane that lines the inside of the heart.
- myocarditis noun
- Inflammation of the heart muscle, not the lining.
- pericarditis noun
- Inflammation of the sac around the heart.
Commonly confused: endocarditis or pericarditis?
endocarditis vs pericarditis
Pericarditis is inflammation of the pericardium (the sac around the heart), while endocarditis is inflammation of the inner lining.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'endocarditis' correctly?
Choose one answer.
'Endocarditis' is an uncountable noun, so 'an endocarditis' and 'are' are wrong; it is also a condition, not a surgery. Only option B uses it correctly as an uncountable medical condition.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “endocarditis”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.