In patients with TBM in one study, the number of longitudinal elastic fibers in the pars of membranacea was reduced throughout the whole trachea.People with heritable connective tissue disorders like Ehlers–Danlos syndrome seem to have at an increased risk of both congenital and acquired TBM, although the extent of that risk is unknown. There have been studies linking long-term use of inhaled Corticosteroids to Tracheobronchomalacia. Diagnosis
Diagnosis is conducted according to the severity of the symptoms. Initially pulmonary function tests are administered. These tests include the lungs capability of air intake and outtake, and gas flow of oxygen and carbon dioxide between the body and environment. Following these function tests a special type of Chest CT scan or a bronchoscopy will be ordered. The results of the scan and bronchoscopy will display the status of the condition. A mild case of tracheobronchomalacia would be if the patients trachea condenses 50% of its normal space when exhaling. Moderate tracheobronchomalacia would be 25% of the normal trachea space constricting and a severe case would be if the walls touch each other.Tracheobronchomalacia is thought to be underdiagnosed as mild cases may be asymptomatic and symptoms are often mistaken for more common respiratory conditions like Athsma and Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Treatment
To properly treat a patient with tracheobronchomalacia, the subtype must be determined (primary or secondary). After the type is named, the cause must be identified, whether it is from genetics, a trauma accident, or chronic tracheal illness.
Endocarditis is an inflammation of the inner layer of the heart, the endocardium. It usually involves the heart valves. Other structures that may be involved include the interventricular septum, the chordae tendineae, the mural endocardium, or the surfaces of intracardiac devices. Endocarditis is characterized by lesions, known as vegetations, which is a mass of platelets, fibrin, microcolonies of microorganisms, and scant inflammatory cells. In the subacute form of infective endocarditis, the vegetation may also include a center of granulomatous tissue, which may fibrose or calcify.There are several ways to classify endocarditis. The simplest classification is based on cause: either infective or non-infective, depending on whether a microorganism is the source of the inflammation or not. Regardless, the diagnosis of endocarditis is based on clinical features, investigations such as an echocardiogram, and blood cultures demonstrating the presence of endocarditis-causing microorganisms. Signs and symptoms include fever, chills, sweating, malaise, weakness, anorexia, weight loss, splenomegaly, flu-like feeling, cardiac murmur, heart failure, petechia (red spots on the skin), Oslers nodes (subcutaneous nodules found on hands and feet), Janeway lesions (nodular lesions on palms and soles), and Roths spots (retinal hemorrhages). Infective endocarditis
Infective endocarditis is an infection of the inner surface of the heart, usually the valves. Symptoms may include fever, small areas of bleeding into the skin, heart murmur, feeling tired, and low red blood cells. Complications may include valvular insufficiency, heart failure, stroke, and kidney failure.The cause is typically a bacterial infection and less commonly a fungal infection.