J. Vestbo et al., AMOUNT OF PNEUMOCYSTIS-CARINII AND DEGREE OF ACUTE LUNG INFLAMMATION IN HIV-ASSOCIATED PNEUMOCYSTIS-CARINII PNEUMONIA, Chest, 104(1), 1993, pp. 109-113
Correlations between semiquantitative amounts of Pneumocystis carinii
(PC), the degree of inflammation, and the severity of pneumonia were a
nalyzed in 58 patients with PC pneumonia (PCP). Material from both tra
nsbronchial biopsies (TBBs; n=39) and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BA
LF; n=57) was examined. In the TBB the amount of PC correlated strongl
y with overall inflammation in the interstitium (Kendall correlation c
oefficient [Kcc]=0.59; p<0.0001), type 2 pneumocyte proliferation, and
edema formation. The amount of PC in the TBB also correlated with int
erstitial accumulation of neutrophils (Kcc=0.54; p=0.0001), lymphocyte
s, and macrophages. In BALF the amount of PC correlated with edema for
mation and type 2 pneumocyte proliferation in the TBB but not with the
percentage of neutrophils, lymphocytes, or macrophages in BALE The am
ount of PC in the BALF and the percentage of neutrophils in the BALF c
orrelated significantly with Po, and the serum lactate dehydrogenase (
LDH) level. Neither short-term nor long-term survival was affected by
the amount of PC, inflammatory markers in the TBB, inflammatory cells
in BALF, PO2, or the serum LDH levels. In conclusion, the amount of PC
is associated with the extent of the acute inflammatory reaction in t
he lung in PCP associated with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV).