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McDonald EG, Butler-Laporte G, Del Corpo O, Hsu JM, Lawandi A, Senecal J, Sohani ZN, Cheng MP, Lee TC. On the Treatment of Pneumocystis jirovecii Pneumonia: Current Practice Based on Outdated Evidence. Open Forum Infect Dis 2021; 8:ofab545. [PMID: 34988242 PMCID: PMC8694206 DOI: 10.1093/ofid/ofab545] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/15/2021] [Accepted: 10/27/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Pneumocystis jirovecii pneumonia (PCP) is a common opportunistic infection causing more than 400000 cases annually worldwide. Although antiretroviral therapy has reduced the burden of PCP in persons with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), an increasing proportion of cases occur in other immunocompromised populations. In this review, we synthesize the available randomized controlled trial (RCT) evidence base for PCP treatment. We identified 14 RCTs that were conducted 25-35 years ago, principally in 40-year-old men with HIV. Trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole, at a dose of 15-20 mg/kg per day, is the treatment of choice based on historical practice rather than on quality comparative, dose-finding studies. Treatment duration is similarly based on historical practice and is not evidence based. Corticosteroids have a demonstrated role in hypoxemic patients with HIV but have yet to be studied in RCTs as an adjunctive therapy in non-HIV populations. The echinocandins are potential synergistic treatments in need of further investigation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emily G McDonald
- Division of General Internal Medicine, Department of Medicine, McGill University Health Centre, Montréal, Canada
- Clinical Practice Assessment Unit, Department of Medicine, McGill University Health Centre, Montréal, Canada
| | - Guillaume Butler-Laporte
- Department of Epidemiology, Occupational Health, and Biostatistics, McGill University, Montréal, Canada
| | - Olivier Del Corpo
- Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, McGill University, Montréal, Canada
| | - Jimmy M Hsu
- Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, McGill University, Montréal, Canada
| | - Alexander Lawandi
- Department of Critical Care Medicine, National Institutes of Health, Clinical Center, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - Julien Senecal
- Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, McGill University, Montréal, Canada
| | - Zahra N Sohani
- Department of Medicine, McGill University, Montréal, Canada
| | - Matthew P Cheng
- Division of Medical Microbiology, Department of Laboratory Medicine, McGill University Health Centre, Montréal, Canada
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, McGill University Health Centre, Montréal, Canada
| | - Todd C Lee
- Clinical Practice Assessment Unit, Department of Medicine, McGill University Health Centre, Montréal, Canada
- Department of Epidemiology, Occupational Health, and Biostatistics, McGill University, Montréal, Canada
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, McGill University Health Centre, Montréal, Canada
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