[Clinical manifestations, diagnosis and course of Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia in patients with hematologic diseases]. / Klinicheskie proiavleniia, diagnostika i techenie pnevmotsistnoi pnevmonii u bol'nykh s zabolevaniiami sistemy krovi.

AIM: To characterize clinical, diagnostic and course features of pneumonia caused by Pneumocystis carinii (PC) in hematologic inpatients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: 27 patients with blood diseases were studied. 22 of them had acute respiratory insufficiency and 5 had unclear lung affection. The data from bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL), lung biopsy, serum tests for IgG, IgM anti-PC-antibodies were used for diagnosis of PC-pneumonia. RESULTS: PC-pneumonia was diagnosed in 8 of 27 patients. Clinical manifestations characteristic for PC-pneumonia were not found. In 5 patients the diagnosis was made on the evidence provided by BAL. Lymphocyte count in BAL was elevated to 27.7 +/- 8.7%. Open biopsy of the lung and transbronchial biopsy diagnosed PC-pneumonia in 2 and 1 patients, respectively. Previous BAL examinations failed to detect PC-pneumonia in 2 of them. In all the patients PC-pneumonia was associated with another infection (bacterial, cytomegaloviral). Histologically, the picture of the disease was determined by the severity of the lung affection or its complications. 5 of 8 patients failed treatment with trimethoprim-sulphamethoxazole and died. Marked respiratory insufficiency was registered at PC-pneumonia diagnosis in all the lethal cases. CONCLUSION: Clinical and x-ray pictures of PC-pneumonia in hemoblastosis patients are not specific. All such patients with symptoms of lung infection resistant to antibacterial and antifungal therapy should be examined for PC-pneumonia.