Skip to main content
Archives of Disease in Childhood logoLink to Archives of Disease in Childhood
. 1977 Apr;52(4):314–319. doi: 10.1136/adc.52.4.314

Treatment of pneumocystis carinii pneumonia in children.

A Lipson, W C Marshall, A R Hayward
PMCID: PMC1544666  PMID: 301010

Abstract

Eighteen children with pneumocystis carinii pneumonia diagnosed over a period of 16 years at a children's hospital are reviewed. All had an underlying disease, either congenital immunodeficiency or a malignancy. 15 patients were treated, 10 with pentamidine isethionate alone, 2 with both pentamidine and co-trimoxazole, and 3 with co-trimoxazole alone. 12 of the treated group recovered and the 3 untreated patients died. The 3 deaths after treatment occurred in children receiving pentamidine alone, and in whom secondary factors contributed. The side effects of treatment with pentamidine were high, and included local reactions, hypoglycaemia, and uraemia. However, our results confirm that pentamidine is an effective treatment for pneumocystis carinii pneumonia in childhood. Co-trimoxazole may be an effective and relatively nontoxic alternative treatment.

Full text

PDF
314

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Brazinsky J. H., Phillips J. E. Pneumocystis pneumonia transmission between patients with lymphoma. JAMA. 1969 Sep 8;209(10):1527–1527. doi: 10.1001/jama.209.10.1527. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. GAJDUSEK D. C. Pneumocystis carinii; etiologic agent of interstitial plasma cell pneumonia of premature and young infants. Pediatrics. 1957 Apr;19(4 Pt 1):543–565. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Hughes W. T., Feldman S., Sanyal S. K. Treatment of Pneumocystis carinii pneumonitis with trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole. Can Med Assoc J. 1975 Jun 14;112(13 Spec No):47–50. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Hughes W. T., McNabb P. C., Makres T. D., Feldman S. Efficacy of trimethoprim and sulfamethoxazole in the prevention and treatment of Pneumocystis carinii pneumonitis. Antimicrob Agents Chemother. 1974 Mar;5(3):289–293. doi: 10.1128/aac.5.3.289. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Hughes W. T., Price R. A., Kim H. K., Coburn T. P., Grigsby D., Feldman S. Pneumocystis carinii pneumonitis in children with malignancies. J Pediatr. 1973 Mar;82(3):404–415. doi: 10.1016/s0022-3476(73)80113-1. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Hughes W. T., Price R. A., Sisko F., Havron W. S., Kafatos A. G., Schonland M., Smythe P. M. Protein-calorie malnutrition. A host determinant for Pneumocystis carinii infection. Am J Dis Child. 1974 Jul;128(1):44–52. doi: 10.1001/archpedi.1974.02110260046008. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Ivady G., Paldy L., Koltay M., Toth G., Kovacs Z. Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia. Lancet. 1967 Mar 18;1(7490):616–617. doi: 10.1016/s0140-6736(67)90464-3. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Johnson H. D., Johnson W. W. Pneumocystic carinii pneumonia in children with cancer. Diagnosis and treatment. JAMA. 1970 Nov 9;214(6):1067–1073. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Kirby H. B., Kenamore B., Guckian J. C. Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia treated with pyrimethamine and sulfadiazine. Ann Intern Med. 1971 Oct;75(4):505–509. doi: 10.7326/0003-4819-75-4-505. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. MARSHALL W. C., WESTON H. J., BODIAN M. PNEUMOCYSTIS CARINII PNEUMONIA AND CONGENITAL HYPOGAMMAGLOBULINAEMIA. Arch Dis Child. 1964 Feb;39:18–25. doi: 10.1136/adc.39.203.18. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. RODGERS T. S., HAGGIE M. H. PNEUMOCYSTIS CARINII PNEUMONIA ASSOCIATED WITH HYPOGAMMAGLOBULINAEMIA RESPONDING TO PENTAMIDINE. Lancet. 1964 May 9;1(7341):1042–1042. doi: 10.1016/s0140-6736(64)91961-0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Remington J. S., Anderson S. E., Jr Diagnosis and treatment of pneumocystosis and toxoplasmosis in the immunosuppressed host. Transplant Proc. 1973 Sep;5(3):1263–1270. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Rifkind D., Faris T. D., Hill R. B., Jr Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia. Studies on the diagnosis and treatment. Ann Intern Med. 1966 Nov;65(5):943–956. doi: 10.7326/0003-4819-65-5-943. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Robbins J. B. Pneumocystis carinii pneumonitis. A review. Pediatr Res. 1967 Mar;1(2):131–158. doi: 10.1203/00006450-196703000-00007. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Ruskin J., Remington J. S. The compromised host and infection. I. Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia. JAMA. 1967 Dec 18;202(12):1070–1074. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Singer C., Armstrong D., Rosen P. P., Schottenfeld D. Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia: a cluster of eleven cases. Ann Intern Med. 1975 Jun;82(6):772–777. doi: 10.7326/0003-4819-82-6-722. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. Waalkes T. P., Denham C., DeVita V. T. Pentamidine: clinical pharmacologic correlations in man and mice. Clin Pharmacol Ther. 1970 Jul-Aug;11(4):505–512. doi: 10.1002/cpt1970114505. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. Walzer P. D., Perl D. P., Krogstad D. J., Rawson P. G., Schultz M. G. Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia in the United States. Epidemiologic, diagnostic, and clinical features. Ann Intern Med. 1974 Jan;80(1):83–93. doi: 10.7326/0003-4819-80-1-83. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  19. Wang J. J., Freeman A. I., Gaeta J. F., Sinks L. F. Unusual complications of pentamidine in the treatment of Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia. J Pediatr. 1970 Aug;77(2):311–314. doi: 10.1016/s0022-3476(70)80345-6. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  20. Western K. A., Perera D. R., Schultz M. G. Pentamidine isethionate in the treatment of Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia. Ann Intern Med. 1970 Nov;73(5):695–702. doi: 10.7326/0003-4819-73-5-695. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Archives of Disease in Childhood are provided here courtesy of BMJ Publishing Group

RESOURCES