Publikation

Blood eosinophilia in tacrolimus-treated patients: an indicator of Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia

Wissenschaftlicher Artikel/Review - 27.11.1999

Bereiche
PubMed

Zitation
Dickenmann M, Tamm M, Tsinalis D, Binet F, Thiel G, Steiger J. Blood eosinophilia in tacrolimus-treated patients: an indicator of Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia. Transplantation 1999; 68:1606-8.
Art
Wissenschaftlicher Artikel/Review (Englisch)
Zeitschrift
Transplantation 1999; 68
Veröffentlichungsdatum
27.11.1999
ISSN (Druck)
0041-1337
Seiten
1606-8
Kurzbeschreibung/Zielsetzung

BACKGROUND: Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia (PcP) in immunocompromised patients is suggested if the following symptoms develop: dyspnea, fever, and interstitial infiltrates on chest x-ray. We observed a significant blood eosinophilia in kidney recipients with PcP under immunosuppressive treatment with tacrolimus. METHODS: Blood eosinophil counts of kidney recipients under immunosuppression with tacrolimus suffering from PcP were compared to eosinophil counts of patients without evidence of PcP and to patients showing PcP under immunosuppression with cyclosporine. RESULTS: PcP-positive patients treated with tacrolimus showed a significantly higher blood eosinophil count compared to PcP-positive patients treated with cyclosporine (P=0.01), and to patients under immunosuppression with tacrolimus without PcP, respectively (P=0.006). Eosinophilia preceded the time of a definitive PcP diagnosis by bronchoalveolar lavage and decreased after successful treatment. CONCLUSIONS: An increasing blood eosinophil count can be an indicator of P. carinii pneumonia in patients under immunosuppressive therapy with tacrolimus.