Pulmonary infections in immunocompromised hosts.

ABSTRACT

Between February 1985 and January 1987, sixty cases of pulmonary infection in immunocompromised host were seen at the Department of Medicine, Ramathibodi hospital. The underlying causes were thirty-four cases with hematologic malignancies, nine with autoimmune diseases, seven with aplastic anemia, three with non-hematologic malignancies, and seven following corticosteroid therapy. Infectious agents were identified in thirty-two cases; nineteen bacterial, three fungal, four nocardial, three strongyloidiasis and three tuberculosis. In nineteen cases, the infectious agents were classified as "probable", and in nine cases, "unknown" etiology. Eleven of the twenty hospital infected patients and ten of the forty community infected patients died. Mortality appeared to be related to the underlying diseases, infection acquired in hospital and the infectious agent.