Experience with pneumocystis carinii pneumonia in patients with AIDS.

We have reviewed admission data, some diagnostic tests, treatment and outcome of 31 male homosexual patients infected with the human immunodeficiency virus with 37 consecutive episodes of presumptive Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia treated at the infectious disease unit, Auckland Hospital, between 1985 and 30 June 1988. The median age was 39 years. Eight episodes were proven Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia, 18 satisfied Centres for Disease Control criteria for presumptive Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia and 11 lacked one Centres for Disease Control criterion. Patients began intravenous or oral cotrimoxazole in 32 episodes, initially 20 mg/k/d of trimethoprim component, but since early 1988 10 mg/k/d. In nine episodes treatment was changed to intravenous pentamidine because of side effects or failure to respond while five received pentamidine as their only drug. Cotrimoxazole caused side effects in 20 of 32 episodes (rash in 11) and pentamidine in 10 of 14 (renal impairment in nine). Two patients died (ie, a 5% mortality for all 37 episodes or 8% for 26 proven and Centres for Disease Control presumptive episodes). Median hospital stay for survivors was 11 days. Fourteen other patients have subsequently died a median eight months after the initial episode. Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia is an important infection in patients infected with the human immunodeficiency virus.