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Pentamidine Prophylaxis of Pneumocystis carinii Pneumonia
- Ursula Kronawitter, MD;
- Johannes R. Bogner, MD; and
- Frank D. Goebel, MD
Excerpt
To the Editors: Aerosolized pentamidine became available about 2 years ago, but the optimal dosage for prophylaxis of Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia has not yet been determined. We assessed the effects of a 300-mg dose of pentamidine inhaled every 2 weeks, adding 1 mL of salbutamol to the pentamidine to prevent bronchoconstriction.
Our study included 128 consecutive human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected patients with the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) or a CD4 cell count of less than 250/µL. Within 8 weeks, 19 patients were withdrawn from study because of noncompliance and 2 patients died. Autopsy revealed P. carinii pneumonia in one patient.
This 100-word excerpt has been provided in the absence of an abstract.
