• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
• /
• v.45 no.4
• /
• pp.805-812
• /
• 1998

Background: Among the variety of opportunistic infections, pneumonia comprises the major morbidity in immunocompromised patients. Pneumocystis carnii pneumonia (PCP) and cytomegalovirus (CMV) pneumonia are common infectious illness of immunocompromised hosts. Although there are many reports regarding to the co-infection of PCP and CMV diagnosed by bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid examination, the effects of CMV co-infection on the outcome of PCP is still controversial. The purpose of this investigation is to evaluate the effects of CMV detected by BAL fluid examination on the clinical course of PCP in the immunocompromised patients other than human immunodeficiency virus infection. Method: Ten patients with PCP were enrolled and retrospective analysis of their medical records were done. HIV infected persons were excluded. The PCP was diagnosed by BAL fluid examination with Calcofluor-White staining. CMV was detected in BAL fluid by Shell-vial culture system. Chest radiographic findings were reviewed. We used Fisher's exact test and Mann-Whitney U test for statistical analysis of data. Results: The underlying disorders of patients were idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (n=1), renal transplantation (n=4), necrotizing vasculitis (n=l), systemic lupus erythematosus (n=1), brain tumor (n=1), chronic myelogenous leukemia (n=1), unidentified (n=1). There were no difference in clinical course, APACHE III score, arterial blood gas analysis, white blood cell count, lymphocyte count, serum albumin concentration, chest radiographic findings and mortality between patients with PCP alone (n=4) and those with CMV co-infection (n=6). Univariate analysis regarding to the factors that associated with mortality of PCP were revealed that the application of mechanical ventilation (p=0.028), the level of APACHE III score (p=0.018) and serum albumin concentration (p=0.048) were related to the mortality of patients with PCP. Conclusion: The clinical course of PCP patients co-infected by CMV were not different from PCP only patients. Instead, accompanied respiratory failure, high APACHE III score and poor nutritional status were associated with poor outcome of PCP.

• Journal of Hospice and Palliative Care
• /
• v.4 no.1
• /
• pp.4-13
• /
• 2001

Purpose : Since the acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) was first recognized in the United States in the summer of 1981, the number of these patients has been increasing in the world. But do not find out a cure and a vaccine for ARS (5). And so, the best treatment for AIDS is the prevention. People can find out accurate knowledge about AIDS, and they can prevent themselves from AIDS approximately 100%. In this study, we investigate with AIDS knowledge and attitudes in unmarried young men (<24 age) and suggest accurate preventive education for AIDS and good sexual behaviors. Methods : Un-married young soldiers and college students who were not diagnosed as AIDS until June 30, 2000 were included in the study. The study included a total of 923 men. A self evaluation questionnaire, included questions on 36 items(the part of demographic data - 9; the part of knowledge - 20; the part of attitudes - 8), was drawn up by three physicians. The demographic data, AIDS knowledge and attitudes were analyzed by chi-square analysis, and the total score of AIDS knowledge - comparison according to demographic factors and attitudewere analyzed by one-way ANOVA test. Results : In demographic characteristics, as for the first recognized time of AIDS, most of men knew it when they were in their middle school, as for sources of information on AIDS, most of them knew it through the TV-media, and as for the educational need about AIDS, most of them agreed with it. In AIDS knowledge, mean scores were $14.0{\pm}1.8$ (70.3%). Items of the misconceptions concerning AIDS, reported as less than 50% correct answers, were 6 among 20 items (30%). In AIDS attitudes, as for the item about that if I will be an AIDS patient, I will have an AIDS treatment, it showed that the number of men agreed with 759 (82.2%), and as for the item about that I will help for AIDS patient even though I don't know him, it showed that the number of them agreed with 412 (45.8%). In correlation of AIDS knowledge and demographic factors, the mean scores of knowledge of men with higher than college degree were higher than them of others. The mean scores of knowledge of men with total income of family with more than US$1667 were higher than them of others. The mean scores of knowledge of men with sources of information on AIDS through the TV-media were higher than them of others. And the mean scores of knowledge of men with past medical history of STD(sexually transmitted disease) were higher than them of others. Conclusions : The higher the knowledge he has, the lower the possibility of risk and the more positive the attitude he has. And then we think that the education program for AIDS will be included as a regular part of the curriculum in high school, and young men must be effectively educated by it.