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Pulmonary nocardiosis - Treatment

Alternative Names

Nocardiosis - pulmonary

Treatment:

The goal of treatment is to control the infection. Antibiotics are used, but the response to treatment may be slow and you must keep taking the medications for at least 3 months.

Surgery may be needed to remove or drain infected areas.

Expectations (prognosis):

The outcome is often good when diagnosed and treated quickly.,

The outcome is poor when the infection spreads outside the lung, treatment is delayed, or the patient has serious underlying diseases.

Complications:

Brain abscesses
Skin infections

Calling your health care provider:

Call your health care provider if you have symptoms of this disorder. Early diagnosis and treatment may improve the chance of a good outcome.

Respiratory system

Reviewed last on: 9/17/2010
David C. Dugdale, III, MD, Professor of Medicine, Division of General Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Washington School of Medicine; Denis Hadjiliadis, MD, Assistant Professor of Medicine, Division of Pulmonary, Allergy and Critical Care, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.

References

Torres A. Pyogenic Bacterial Pneumonia and Lung Abscess. In: Mason RJ, Broaddus CV, Martin TR, et al. Murray & Nadel's Textbook of Respiratory Medicine. 5th ed. Philadelphia, Pa: Saunders Elsevier; 2010:chap 32.

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