Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: UMLS:C0032285 (pneumonia)
 54,520 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

4 cases of Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia in HIV-infected patients studied at the University of Zambia Medical School, Lusaka, were verified by bronchoalveolar lavage. Pneumocystis is common in North American AIDS patients, but has been considered rare in Africa. One reason may be that facilities for diagnosis, bronchoscopy with bronchoalveolar lavage, are not usually available. 44 consecutive HIV seropositive patients who were unresponsive to a 10-day course of antibiotics, and whose sputum was negative for acid fast bacteria, underwent bronchoalveolar lavage from February 1990 to December 1990. HIV status was assayed with Welcozyme ELISA kits, and P. carinii was detected with toluidine blue O stain. The 1st case of confirmed P. carinii pneumonia was a 35-year old man who had a productive cough for 4 weeks, fever, and dyspnea. He was treated with co-trimoxazole and was symptom-free in 3 weeks, but developed severe Stevens-Johnson reaction. His cultures were positive for M. tuberculosis at week 8. He was lost to follow-up. The 2nd case was a 26-year old man with a 6-month history of cough and white sputum, treated without effect with antituberculous medication. He improved over 3 weeks with co-trimoxazole, but died of respiratory failure 2 months later. The 3rd case was a 30-year old woman being treated for pulmonary tuberculosis, who became progressively dyspneic 7 months later. She developed a generalized maculo-papular rash after taking co-trimoxazole, so was given dapsone 100 mg/day, prednisone 1 mg/kg/day, and trimethoprim 15 mg/kg for 1 week. She improve in 3 weeks. The 4th case was a 30-year old man with a 4-week history of dry cough and dyspnea and recent high fever. He was given co-trimoxazole, but developed generalized purpura after 5 days. His treatment was changed to Dapsone 100 mg/day, prednisone 1 mg/kg/day, and antituberculous medication. He improved after 3 weeks, and is being maintained on Fansidar 1 tablet/week. These cases are remarkable because 2 of them also had pulmonary tuberculosis, which is often the presumed diagnosis of pneumonia in African AIDS patients. Furthermore, 3 developed serious drug reactions to co-trimoxazole, also considered an uncommon occurrence.
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PMID:Pneumocystis carinii as a cause of pneumonia in HIV-infected patients in Lusaka, Zambia. 144 Aug 16

A patient developed eosinophilic peripheral pulmonary infiltrates while receiving malaria prophylaxis with sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine (Fansidar). Withdrawal of Fansidar and treatment with corticosteroids led to rapid recovery. No exacerbation occurred after cessation of corticosteroids. Lymphocyte transformation testing gave a positive result in the presence of sulfadoxine but not pyrimethamine. It is concluded that drug hypersensitivity to sulfadoxine was the cause of the eosinophilic pneumonia in this patient.
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PMID:Sulfadoxine specific lymphocyte transformation in a patient with eosinophilic pneumonia induced by sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine (Fansidar). 276 33

We report a subject who had Fansidar prescribed to him for the purpose of malaria prophylaxis. This agent is a combination of pyrimethamine and sulphadoxine. He subsequently developed severe hypersensitivity pneumonia and required mechanical ventilation. We believe that sulphadoxine was responsible for his illness.
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PMID:Fansidar hypersensitivity pneumonitis. 365 13

Without treatment, Pneumocystis carinii pneumonitis is almost always fatal in the immunocompromised host. Here, Walter Hughes discusses proven and potential treatments, and methods of chemoprophylaxis in high-risk patients. Two drugs, pentamidine isethionate and trimethoprimsulfamethoxazole, are equally effective therapeutically - permitting the recovery of approximately 75% of patients - but the latter drug combination is preferred because of its lower toxicity and fewer adverse effects. The pneumonitis can be prevented by prophylactic administration of trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole. Other drugs with proven efficacy or under study include Fansidar, dapsone, trimetrexate and difluoromethylornithine.
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PMID:Treatment and prophylaxis for Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia. 1546 79