Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia

Injury Disease Nutrition Poison Symptoms Surgery Test Special Topic

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

Lungs AIDS Pneumocystosis

Overview Symptoms Treatment Prevention

Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia

• fever
• cough -- often mild and dry
• shortness of breath -- especially with exertion (activity)
• rapid breathing

• X-ray of the chest may reveal abnormal lung findings -- yet up to 10% of individuals with PCP in the setting of AIDS may have a normal chest x-ray
• sputum induction: for special stains to detect Pneumocystis carinii
• bronchoscopy (with lavage) -- if sputum induction is negative
• lung biopsy may rarely be needed if the above studies fail to yield a diagnosis
• blood gases which may show decreased oxygen level in blood and helps in determining whether an individual might benefit from corticosteroids

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