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Pulmonary complications in patients with AIDS: A report from a Beijing hospital
Author(s) -
Xu KaiFeng,
Lu Weixuan,
Li Longyun,
Shen Ruiyuan
Publication year - 2000
Publication title -
respirology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.857
H-Index - 85
eISSN - 1440-1843
pISSN - 1323-7799
DOI - 10.1111/j.1440-1843.2000.00286.x
Subject(s) - medicine , pneumonia , pulmonary tuberculosis , pneumocystis carinii , tuberculosis , sputum , respiratory failure , exertion , pathology , pneumocystis jirovecii
Objective: The aim of this study was to improve the awareness of pulmonary complications in patients with AIDS. Methodology: Nine patients with AIDS with pulmonary involvement from March 1992 to March 2000 were analysed. Results: Of the nine cases, there were eight cases complicated with Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia (PCP). The clinical presentation of PCP was fever (8/8), dyspnoea on exertion or at rest (7/8), and hypoxaemia with a mean PaO 2 of 58 mmHg. Chest X‐ray films showed bilateral diffuse interstitial or alveolar infiltrates. Pulmonary tuberculosis, tuberculous lymphadenitis and bronchial fungal infection were found in three cases. Conclusions: AIDS patients are at high risk of suffering from pulmonary complications, of which PCP is most common. If young patients who were healthy in the past suddenly suffered from pneumonia and respiratory failure, PCP should be considered. When opportunistic pulmonary infection is diagnosed under special circumstances, one should be alert to the possibility of AIDS and examine serum antihuman immunodeficiency virus (HIV) antibody.