Table 1.
Demographic Features of 61 Patients
| Patient Characteristics | Number (%) |
|---|---|
| Age, median years (range) | 57 (range 1–80) |
| Male | 34 (56%) |
| Indigenous | 23 (38%) |
| Male | 8 (35%) |
| Female | 15 (65%) |
| Nonindigenous | 38 (62%) |
| Male | 26 (68%) |
| Female | 12 (32%) |
| Predisposing and immunocompromising factors | |
| Chronic lung disease | 32 (52%) |
| Diabetes mellitus | 13 (21%) |
| Hazardous alcohol consumption | 18 (30%) |
| Immunosuppressive medicationa | 15 (25%) |
| High-dose corticosteroid-based therapy in preceding 3 monthsb | 13 (21%) |
| Other immunosuppressive therapyc | 2 (3%) |
| Active malignancy | 12 (20%) |
| Cytotoxic chemotherapy in past 6 months | 5 (8%) |
| Solid organ transplantationd | 3 (5%) |
| HIV infection | 2 (3%) |
| Number of predisposing/immunocompromising factors (from above list) | |
| 0 | 8 (13%) |
| 1 | 26 (43%) |
| 2 or more | 27 (44%) |
| Immunocompromisede | 22 (36%) |
Abbreviations: HIV, human immunodeficiency virus.
aImmunosuppressive medications included corticosteroids, calcineurin inhibitors, mycophenolate mofetil, azathioprine, and methotrexate.
bDefined as ≥20 mg/day prednisolone or >2 mg/day dexamethasone for 1 month or >2 pulses of 1 gram intravenous methylprednisolone with or without other immunosuppressive agents.
cPatients receiving low-dose prednisolone (<20 mg/day) and at least 1 other immunosuppressive agent.
dRenal transplantation in all 3 patients.
eDefined as presence of any of the following: immunosuppressive medication, history of transplantation, HIV infection, active malignancy.