Acute pulmonary effects of three nebulizers for administering aerosol pentamidine: comparison of Parineb to Fisoneb and Respirgard II

Aromatic diamidines as antiparasitic agents

Parasitic infections are widespread in developing countries and frequently associated with immunocompromised patients in developed countries. Consequently, such infections are responsible for a significant amount of human mortality, morbidity and economic hardship. A growing consensus has identified the urgent need for the development of new antiparasitic compounds, mostly due to the large number of drug-resistant parasites and the fact that currently available drugs are expensive, highly toxic, require long treatment regimens and frequently exhibit significantly reduced activity towards certain parasite strains and evolutive stages. In this context, the activity of aromatic diamidines has been explored against a widespread range of micro-organisms, and the authors' present aim is to review the current status of chemotherapy with these compounds against human parasitic infections.

The pulmonary effects of long-term exposure to aerosol pentamidine: a 5-year surveillance study in HIV-infected patients

STUDY OBJECTIVES

To assess the effects of long-term exposure to aerosolized pentamidine (AP) for the prophylaxis of Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia on the pulmonary function.

DESIGN

The results of pulmonary function tests (PFTs) over a period of 5 years were retrospectively analyzed in a cohort of HIV-infected individuals.

SETTING

A government-funded AP clinic in a large metropolitan center in Canada.

PATIENTS

Among the cohort of 1,850 HIV-positive patients who received regular AP prophylaxis between 1989 and 2001 at the AP clinic, 83 received AP for >or= 5 years. Of these 83 patients, baseline and long-term follow-up PFT data were available for 79. These subjects formed the study population for this analysis.

RESULTS

The cohort was divided according to smoking status (smokers, 48%). The rate of decline of FEV(1) in the smokers over the 5-year period was statistically significant but was comparable to that expected of healthy smokers. As for the nonsmokers, there was no significant reduction in FEV(1). Flow rates at low lung volumes (ie, forced expiratory flow at 50% and 75% of FEV(1)) and low FEV(1)/FVC ratios showed significant declines in both smokers and nonsmokers. On the other hand, no significant changes in FVC, total lung capacity, residual volume, or diffusing capacity of the lung for carbon monoxide were observed. The apparent slight reduction in flow rates seems to be at the level of the small airways.

CONCLUSIONS

The PFT data suggest that AP can be well-tolerated over a 5-year period in HIV-infected patients with only modest reduction in flow rates at the level of the small airways, especially in smokers.