Consensus Statement on the Use of Corticosteroids as Adjunctive Therapy for Pneumocystis Pneumonia in the Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome

Abstract

Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia continues to be the most common life-threatening opportunistic infection defining the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) in patients infected with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). In the United States an estimated 40,000 cases of pneumocystis pneumonia are expected to occur in patients with HIV infection during 1990. Such cases will continue to occur despite impressive advances in antipneumocystis prophylaxis.¹ Many patients fail to take prophylaxis for economic or psychosocial reasons. Others are not identified as infected with HIV and are thus not known to be at risk. In addition, some prophylactic regimens, such as aerosolized pentamidine, are associated with substantial rates of failure.²