• Home

Home > Medical Reference > Encyclopedia (English)

Toggle: English / Spanish

Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia

• Overview
• Symptoms
• Treatment
• Prevention

Alternative Names:

Pneumocystosis; PCP; Pneumocystis jiroveci

Symptoms:

• fever
• cough -- often mild and dry
• shortness of breath -- especially with exertion (activity)
• rapid breathing

Signs and tests:

• x-ray of the chest may reveal lung abnormalities -- yet up to 10% of individuals with PCP in the setting of AIDS may have a normal chest x-ray
• sputum induction: for special stains to detect Pneumocystis carinii
• bronchoscopy (with lavage) -- if sputum induction is negative
• lung biopsy may rarely be needed if the above studies fail to yield a diagnosis
• blood gases which may show decreased oxygen level in blood and helps in determining whether an individual might benefit from corticosteroids

• Review Date: 2/13/2006
• Reviewed By: Monica Gandhi, M.D., M.P.H., Assistant Professor, Division of Infectious Diseases, UCSF, San Francisco, CA. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.

A.D.A.M., Inc. is accredited by URAC, also known as the American Accreditation HealthCare Commission (www.urac.org). URAC's accreditation program is the first of its kind, requiring compliance with 53 standards of quality and accountability, verified by independent audit. A.D.A.M. is among the first to achieve this important distinction for online health information and services. Learn more about A.D.A.M.'s editorial process . A.D.A.M. is also a founding member of Hi-Ethics (www.hiethics.com) and subscribes to the principles of the Health on the Net Foundation (www.hon.ch).

The information provided herein should not be used during any medical emergency or for the diagnosis or treatment of any medical condition. A licensed physician should be consulted for diagnosis and treatment of any and all medical conditions. Call 911 for all medical emergencies. Links to other sites are provided for information only -- they do not constitute endorsements of those other sites. Copyright 1997-2007 A.D.A.M., Inc. Any duplication or distribution of the information contained herein is strictly prohibited.