[Acute exacerbation of COPD]. / Akute Exazerbation der COPD.

Acute exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (AECOPD) often develop into emergency situations that are associated with high morbidity and mortality. There is still a lack of a generally accepted definition for the risk stratification in AECOPD to guide an optimal diagnosis and treatment. In this article we propose a classification based on 4 degrees of severity, depending on whether outpatient treatment can be done by the patient himself or is provided by a physician and whether inpatient treatment is carried out on a general ward or on an intensive care unit. The pharmacological therapy of AECOPD relies on short acting bronchodilators, systemic corticosteroids and in case of purulent sputum on antibiotics. Longacting beta(2)-agonists or anticholinergics, theophyllin, mucolytic drugs or mechanical percussion to the chest by a physiotherapist have no proven value in the emergency treatment of AECOPD. In respiratory failure the use of oxygen therapy and non-invasive positive pressure ventilation (NIPPV) can often prevent the need for endotracheal intubation and controlled mechanical ventilation, thus preventing associated risks like the development of nosocomial pneumonia.

Destructive osteoarthritis after delayed diagnosis of tuberculosis.

Osteoarticular tuberculosis rarely occurs in developed countries. Initial symptoms are often overlooked and the diagnosis is frequently delayed for several months. Thus, despite available diagnostic tools and accessible treatment, destruction of affected joints remains a complication of non-vertebral osteoarticular tuberculosis even in industrialized countries. We report a patient from Cleveland, Ohio, USA, in whom the delayed diagnosis of tuberculous osteoarthritis led to severe destruction of the left knee and finally, after superinfection with Staphylococcus aureus, to an above-the-knee amputation. The epidemiology, presentation, diagnosis and treatment of nonvertebral tuberculous osteoarthritis are discussed.

Genotypic drug resistance and cause of death in HIV-infected persons who died in 1999.

We analyzed the relationship between viral drug resistance and causes of death in 29 HIV-1-infected patients who had been followed in an HIV-outpatient clinic and died in 1999. Six patients (21%) died with plasma HIV-RNA levels <1000 copies/ml. Seven (24%) died with wild-type (WT) virus in plasma, 6 (21%) had reverse transcriptase (RT) mutations only, 10 (34%) had multidrug-resistant (MDR) virus. The causes of death were not differently distributed among these groups; however, 8 of 16 patients (50%) with resistant viruses died of end-organ failure versus 2 of 7 patients (29%) with WT virus. Seventeen of 32 patients (53%) were thought by their physicians to be noncompliant with prescribed therapy. Major resistance mutations to antiretroviral drugs were present in viruses from at least 55% of our HIV-1-infected patients who died in 1999. Nonetheless, deaths also occurred among patients with well-controlled HIV infection and among patients with WT virus in plasma. Infections related to incomplete immune restoration, inability to maintain suppressive antiretroviral drug levels, and end-organ failures all contribute to mortalities in the era of highly active antiretroviral therapy.