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Severe Infections in Childhood Leukemia
Author(s) -
SAARINEN ULLA M.
Publication year - 1984
Publication title -
acta pædiatrica
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.772
H-Index - 115
eISSN - 1651-2227
pISSN - 0803-5253
DOI - 10.1111/j.1651-2227.1984.tb09963.x
Subject(s) - medicine , pneumonitis , pneumocystis carinii , pediatrics , miliary tuberculosis , antibiotics , tuberculosis , pneumonia , pneumocystis jirovecii , pathology , lung , microbiology and biotechnology , biology
Severe infections during the course of childhood ALL were surveyed as a whole in 100 consecutive patients, followed up for 2–8.5 years from the ALL diagnosis. The most important findings were a total absence of disseminated candidiasis, a relative infrequency of gram‐negative septicemia (8 episodes), and a predominance of gram‐positive cocci (29 episodes) in the 48 verified septicemias. S. aureus was responsible for 50 % of culture‐positive septicemias. The gram‐positive predominance depended probably on local factors, and reservation in using broad‐spectrum antibiotics might have played a part. There were 9 cases of disseminated Varicella‐zoster, cured successfully with antiviral agents. Pneumocystis carinii pneumonitis numbered 8 episodes, concentrated to the early remission period. One case of miliary tuberculosis was found. Risk factors regarding age of patient and phase or intensity of cytotoxic therapy are evaluated.