Pneumonia in immunocompromised host - Overview
Alternative Names
Pneumonia in immunodeficient patient
Definition of Pneumonia in immunocompromised host:
Pneumonia in an immunocompromised host describes a lung infection that occurs in a person whose ability to fight infection is greatly reduced.
See also:
Causes, incidence, and risk factors:
People who are immunocompromised have a defective immune response. Because of this, they are susceptible to infections by germs that do not cause disease in healthy people. They are also more vulnerable to the usual causes of pneumonia, which can affect anyone.
Immunosuppression can be caused by HIV infection, leukemia, organ transplantation, bone marrow transplant, and medications to treat cancer.
- Reviewed last on: 8/6/2007
- D. Scott Smith, MD., MSc., DTM., Prof. Medical Microbiology & Immunology, Dept. of Human Biology, Stanford Univ. School of Medicine, Stanford, CA. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.
References
Marx JA, Hockberger RS, Walls RM, eds. Rosen’s Emergency Medicine: Concepts and Clinical Practice. 5th ed. St. Louis, Mo: Mosby; 2002.
Cohen J, Powderly WG. Infectious Diseases. 2nd ed. New York, NY: Elsevier, 2004.
Mandell, GL, Bennett JE, Dolin R, eds. Principles of Infectious Diseases. 5th ed. New York, NY: Churchill Livingstone, 2000.
Mandell LA, Wunderink RG, Anzueto A, et al. Infectious Diseases Society of America/American Thoracic Society consensus guidelines on the management of community-acquired pneumonia in adults. Clin Infect Dis. 2007 Mar 1;44 Suppl 2:S27-72.
American Thoracic Society. Guidelines for the management of adults with hospital-acquired, ventilator-associated, and healthcare-associated pneumonia. Am J Respir Crit Care Med. 2005 Feb 15;171(4):388-416.
