Information ⬇
- Pts develop dyspnea, fever, and nonproductive cough.
- - HIV-infected pts often have an indolent course that presents as mild exercise intolerance or chest tightness without fever or cough. Over days to months, these pts develop the more typical symptoms of PCP.
- - Some pts with HIV infection and most pts with other types of immunosuppression have more acute disease that progresses over a few days to respiratory failure.
- Physical examination findings are nonspecific and invariably include hypoxemia. Pts may initially have a normal chest examination but later, without treatment, develop diffuse rales and signs of consolidation.
- Serum levels of LDH may be elevated because of pulmonary damage, but this finding is neither sensitive nor specific.
- CXR classically reveals bilateral diffuse interstitial infiltrates that are perihilar and symmetrical, although this finding is not specific for PCP. Cysts and pneumothoraces are common CXR findings. Chest CT shows diffuse ground-glass opacities in virtually all pts with PCP, and a normal chest CT essentially rules out the diagnosis.
- Rare cases of disseminated infection have been described, generally involving lymph nodes, spleen, and liver.
Outline ⬆
Section 7. Infectious Diseases
- 78. Infections Acquired in Health Care Facilities
- 79. Infections in the Immunocompromised Host
- 80. Infective Endocarditis
- 81. Intraabdominal Infections
- 82. Infectious Diarrheas
- 83. Sexually Transmitted and Reproductive Tract Infections
- 84. Infections of the Skin, Soft Tissues, Joints, and Bones
- 85. Pneumococcal Infections
- 86. Staphylococcal Infections
- 87. Streptococcal/Enterococcal Infections, Diphtheria, and Infections Caused by Other Corynebacteria and Related Species
- 88. Meningococcal and Listerial Infections
- 89. Infections Caused by Haemophilus, Bordetella, Moraxella, and HACEK Group Organisms
- 90. Diseases Caused by Gram-Negative Enteric Bacteria and Pseudomonas
- 91. Infections Caused by Miscellaneous Gram-Negative Bacilli
- 92. Anaerobic Infections
- 93. Nocardiosis, Actinomycosis, and Whipple's Disease
- 94. Tuberculosis and Other Mycobacterial Infections
- 95. Lyme Disease and Other Nonsyphilitic Spirochetal Infections
- 96. Rickettsial Diseases
- 97. Mycoplasma Pneumoniae, Legionella Species, and Chlamydia Pneumoniae
- 98. Chlamydia Trachomatis and C. Psittaci
- 99. Herpesvirus Infections
- 100. Cytomegalovirus and Epstein-Barr Virus Infections
- 101. Influenza and Other Viral Respiratory Diseases
- 102. Rubeola, Rubella, Mumps, and Parvovirus Infections
- 103. Enteroviral Infections
- 104. Insect- and Animal-Borne Viral Infections
- 105. HIV Infection and AIDS
- 106. Fungal Infections
- 107. Pneumocystis Infections
- 108. Protozoal Infections
- 109. Helminthic Infections and Ectoparasite Infestations