Factors associated with Pneumocystic carinii pneumonia in Wegener's granulomatosis
Article Abstract:
A reduction in the number of lymphocytes in the blood may predict which patients with Wegener's granulomatosis (WG) will develop Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia (PCP). WG can be a fatal disease marked by inflammation and ulcers of the respiratory tract. It may be controlled by certain drugs, but PCP is a common complication of treatment that frequently ends in death. Researchers compared information on 12 patients with WG and PCP to information on 32 patients with WG but not PCP. The main difference between the two groups was that patients who developed PCP had low blood lymphocyte counts. WG patients who develop low lymphocyte counts within three months of initial treatment should receive anti-PCP preventive treatments. AIDS patients benefit from such preventive treatment.
Publication Name: Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases
Subject: Health
ISSN: 0003-4967
Year: 1995
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New application of myocardial antimyosin scintigraphy: diagnosis of myocardial disease in polymyositis
Article Abstract:
Myocardial antimyosin scintigraphy may be an effective method for diagnosing heart disease in patients with polymyositis. Polymyositis is a disorder characterized by inflammation of the skeletal muscles. A 67-year-old man was admitted to the hospital with severe pulmonary edema, or fluid in his lungs. He had been seen by a doctor for progressive shortness of breath, muscle weakness and weight loss three months earlier. Myocardial antimyosin scintigraphy revealed heart disease as a complication of polymyositis. He improved after treatment with prednisone and cyclophosphamide. Myocardial antimyosin scintigraphy involves the use of a radiolabelled antibody specific for myosin. Myosin is a protein that is a marker for dead heart muscle tissue.
Publication Name: Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases
Subject: Health
ISSN: 0003-4967
Year: 1993
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111-indium antimyosin antibody imaging of primary myocardial involvement in systemic diseases
Article Abstract:
Scintigraphic imaging with 111-indium antimyosin antibody effectively identifies damage to the heart muscle in patients with systemic diseases. Researchers performed the diagnostic scan on 40 patient with systemic conditions, such as lupus, sarcoidosis, rheumatoid arthritis, and other autoimmune conditions. Forty-three percent of the 30 patients with diagnostic evidence of heart damage showed increased antibody uptake in the left ventricle. No patients without evidence of heart damage had a positive scintigraphic test. The use of a radioactively-labeled marker for heart muscle-cell damage may improve the diagnosis of cardiac involvement in systemic autoimmune diseases.
Publication Name: Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases
Subject: Health
ISSN: 0003-4967
Year: 1999
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- Abstracts: Geographic variation in the management and outcome of patients with AIDS-related Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia
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