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M94A0718.TXT
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1994-10-21
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Document 0718
DOCN M94A0718
TI Ian Thompson Memorial Lecture. Opportunistic infections in people with
HIV.
DT 9412
AU van der Horst C; University of North Carolina.
SO Annu Conf Australas Soc HIV Med. 1993 Oct 28-30;5:21 (abstract no.
TPI-6). Unique Identifier : AIDSLINE ASHM5/94348937
AB In the last 10 years of the HIV epidemic therapeutic advances on the
frontier of opportunistic infections have done more to prolong the
quality and length of life for affected people than anti-retrovirals.
Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia is less often seen due to widespread
prophylaxis with trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole one double strength
tablet daily when a person's CD4 drops below 200 cells/mm3. Two other
commonly used regimens for prophylaxis include monthly aerosolized
pentamidine (300 mg) and daily dapsone 50 mg along with pyrimethamine 50
mg once each week. Systemic regimens although more toxic offer the added
benefit of prophylaxis against Toxoplasma gondii encephalitis, a disease
of increasing incidence in seropositive individuals whose CD4 count
drops below 100 cells/mm3. The treatment of PCP is still problematic.
The drug of choice is tmp/smx 15-20 mg/kg (trimethoprim component) in 4
doses for 21 days with the addition of prednisone for those patients
with a pO2 less than 70. The next drug remains intravenous pentamidine
3-4 mg/kg daily. Although it can be highly toxic I think it is still
superior to all the other oral regimens which include atovaquone (poorly
absorbed), clindamycin/primiquine and dapsone/trimethoprim (less well
studied), or aerosolized pentamidine (only for mild disease). The
diagnosis of toxoplasma encephalitis has moved away from brain biopsy to
empiric therapy with either sulfadiazine/pyrimethamine or
clindamycin/pyrimethamine for patients with ring enhancing lesions on CT
scan and positive serology for toxo. Cryptococcal neoformans meningitis
unlike the above 2 diseases is not a reactivation of a childhood
illness. Rather this disease results when an immunocompromised person
inhales the yeast. Any patient with a fever and headache warrants a
workup for this infection. Some patients present with fever alone and a
positive cryptococcal antigen test. With a 10 week mortality of 20%
aggressive therapy is warranted and all patients should receive a 2 week
induction with amphotericin 0.7 mg/kg daily and flucytosine 25 mg/kg 4
times each day. If the patient clinically improves and is alert this can
be followed by 8 weeks of fluconazole 400 mg per day or more. Culture of
CSF at week 10 should determine the total length of this aggressive
regimen. Disseminated mycobacteria avium complex is often the last major
infection of people with HIV infection. The recently completed trials of
rifabutin prophylaxis for MAI have not convinced most US investigators
to use this agent widely. Patients with unexplained fevers, weightloss,
anemia and a rising alkaline phosphatase should have their blood
cultured for MAI and be started on a regimen of clarithromycin 1000 mg
twice each day, clofazimine 100 mg daily and ethambutol 15 mg/kg daily.
DE Adult Anti-Infective Agents/ADVERSE EFFECTS/*THERAPEUTIC USE
AIDS-Related Opportunistic Infections/*DRUG THERAPY/ETIOLOGY Child
Cryptococcus neoformans/DRUG EFFECTS Dose-Response Relationship, Drug
Drug Administration Schedule Drug Therapy, Combination Human
Meningitis, Cryptococcal/DRUG THERAPY Mycobacterium
avium-intracellulare Infection/DRUG THERAPY Pneumonia, Pneumocystis
carinii/DRUG THERAPY Trimethoprim-Sulfamethoxazole Combination/ADVERSE
EFFECTS/ THERAPEUTIC USE MEETING ABSTRACT
SOURCE: National Library of Medicine. NOTICE: This material may be
protected by Copyright Law (Title 17, U.S.Code).