Anales de medicina interna (Madrid, Spain : 1984)
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Patients with aids are at increased risk of opportunistic and non opportunistic infections. It is now known that the incidence can be reduced by prophylactic measures and/or the use of vaccines. HIV infection produces an elevated frequency of severe pneumococcal disease with a rate of bacteriemia caused by Streptococcus pneumoniae 150-300 fold greater than rates reported in non-HIV infected people. ⋯ For these subjects, passive immunization with immunoglobulin may also be necessary to provide protection. In conclusion, pneumococcal and hepatitis B vaccination is a reasonable prevention strategy for HIV infected patients at all stages of immunodeficiency. Influenza and H. influenzae vaccination are not recommended and alternative prevention strategies may be done.
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Review Case Reports
[Fever of unknown origin as the clinical presentation of malignant peritoneal mesothelioma].
Malignant peritoneal mesothelioma is a rare disease. The most frequent initial symptoms are abdominal pain, anorexia, marked weight loss and ascites. ⋯ Three patients died within two months after diagnosis and prolonged fever was the clinical manifestation at the onset of the disease. It is important to take malignant peritoneal mesothelioma in the differential diagnosis of fever unknown origin.
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The treatment of the recurrent pericarditis is difficult habitually. The colchicine, antiinflammatory drug used in gouty arthritis, is effective in preventing the recurrences of acute pericarditis. We review the literature about the efficacy of colchicine in the prevention of recurrent pericarditis.
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Primary pulmonary hypertension is defined as pulmonary arterial hypertension of unknown cause. It's a diagnosis made by exclusion; all recognizable causes of pulmonary hypertension must be ruled out before the diagnosis of primary pulmonary hypertension can be made. ⋯ Recently, with the advent first of heart-lung transplantation and then of single-lung transplantation the therapeutic options have increased considerably. We discuss the characteristics of this disease and we review the literature.
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Review Comparative Study
[Retrospective and comparative study of pneumococcal bacteremia in patients with chronic hepatopathy].
The chronic hepatopathy predispose to severe infections due to Streptococcus pneumoniae, including bacteremia. ⋯ Pneumococcal bactermia in patients with chronic hepatopathy have a high mortality rate; however clinical outcome is similar to patients without chronic hepatopathy.