Pneumocystis pneumonia in patients with human immunodeficiency virus

ABSTRACT

Pneumocystis Pneumonia [PCP] caused by Pneumocystis Jjirovecii [formerly called P.Carinii] is one of the most common opportunistic infections in patients with human immunodeficiency virus [HIV]. The aim of this study was to assess PCP in HIV-infected patients at the "National Research Institute of Tuberculosis and Lung Disease" [NRITLD]. A retrospective study was performed on 12 HIV-infected patients who were hospitalized at the Masih Daneshvari Hospital [NRITLD] and diagnosed as having PCP during 2003- 2007. In patients suspected of PCP with symptoms such as exertional dyspnea, fever, cough and related radiological findings, bronchoscopy including bronchoalveolar lavage [BAL] and transbronchial lung biopsy [TBLB] were performed and high resolution computed tomography [HRCT] was obtained from all patients. Mean age of the understudy patients was 32.8 +/- 5.02 yrs. The most common symptom was exertional dyspnea [91.7% of cases]. Mean duration from the onset of symptoms until diagnosis was 27.4 +/- 18.7 days. All patients were treated with Co-Trimoxazole and no adverse effects were detected. Mortality rate was 25%. In Iran PCP is one of the common opportunistic infections in HIV-positive patients which is accompanied by a high mortality rate