Background

There is limited data suggesting that recovery from severe pulmonary infection with Coccidioides may be hastened by the addition of systemic corticosteroids.

Methods

We present a case report of 2 patients with persistent and progressive coccidioidomycosis who demonstrated a dramatic response to adjunctive corticosteroid therapy.

Results

Both patients had Coccidioides immitis cultured from respiratory samples. One was a 69-year-old man who had been treated with combination fluconazole and liposomal amphotericin for over 6 weeks, with persistent fever and pneumonia. The other was a 61-year-old man treated with fluconazole and then amphotericin for 3 weeks, with progression to acute respiratory distress syndrome and shock. Both received short courses of intravenous methylprednisolone and recovered to be discharged home.

Conclusions

As opposed to associated hypersensitivity, corticosteroid treatment in these cases was directed at modulating the ongoing destructive effects of unchecked inflammation. Rapid improvement was noted in both cases and raises the possibility that the addition of systemic corticosteroids may hasten recovery in patients with severe coccidioidomycosis.

Background

Emphysema is more prevalent in HIV-infected (HIV+) patients independent of smoking behavior. Nonetheless, health effects of emphysema in this population are poorly understood. We determined whether emphysema is associated with a greater burden of pulmonary symptoms and a lower 6-minute walk distance (6MWD) in HIV+ compared with HIV-uninfected (HIV-) subjects.

Methods

We performed a cross-sectional analysis of 170 HIV+ and 153 HIV- subjects in the Examinations of HIV-Associated Lung Emphysema (EXHALE) cohort study. Subjects completed a self-assessment of respiratory symptoms, pulmonary function testing, and 6MWD testing as well as a chest computed tomography to determine emphysema severity. We used regression models to determine the association of emphysema with respiratory symptoms and 6MWD in HIV+ subjects and compared this to HIV- subjects.

Results

Models stratified by HIV status demonstrated an association between >10% radiographic emphysema and chronic cough and/or phlegm and 6MWD in HIV+ subjects. These associations persisted among the subset without airflow obstruction: those with emphysema had 4.2 (95% confidence interval: 1.3 to 14) times the odds of chronic cough and/or phlegm and walked 60 m (95% confidence interval: 26 to 93) less distance than those without emphysema. There was no association between >10% emphysema and symptoms or 6MWD in HIV- subjects.

Conclusions

In our cohort, >10% radiographic emphysema was associated with chronic cough and/or phlegm and lower 6MWD in HIV+ but not HIV- subjects. These findings were robust even among HIV+ subjects with milder forms of emphysema and those without airflow obstruction, highlighting the clinical impact of emphysema in these patients.

OBJECTIVE:Aging people living with HIV (PLWH) face an increased burden of comorbidities, including chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). The impact of COPD on mortality in HIV remains unclear. We examined associations between markers of COPD and mortality among PLWH and uninfected study participants. DESIGN:Longitudinal analysis of the Examinations of HIV-Associated Lung Emphysema (EXHALE) cohort study. METHODS:EXHALE includes 196 PLWH and 165 uninfected smoking-matched study participants who underwent pulmonary function testing and computed tomography (CT) to define COPD and were followed. We determined associations between markers of COPD with mortality using multivariable Cox regression models, adjusted for smoking and the Veterans Aging Cohort Study (VACS) Index, a validated predictor of mortality in HIV. RESULTS:Median follow-up time was 6.9 years; the mortality rate was 2.7/100 person-years among PLWH and 1.7/100 person-years among uninfected study participants (P = 0.11). The VACS Index was associated with mortality in both PLWH and uninfected study participants. In multivariable models, pulmonary function and CT characteristics defining COPD were associated with mortality in PLWH: those with airflow obstruction (forced expiratory volume in 1 s/ forced vital capacity <0.7) had 3.1 times the risk of death [hazard ratio 3.1 (95% confidence interval 1.4-7.1)], compared with those without; those with emphysema (>10% burden) had 2.4 times the risk of death [hazard ratio 2.4 (95% confidence interval 1.1-5.5)] compared with those with ≤ 10% emphysema. In uninfected subjects, pulmonary variables were not significantly associated with mortality, which may reflect fewer deaths limiting power. CONCLUSION:Markers of COPD were associated with greater mortality in PWLH, independent of the VACS Index. COPD is likely an important contributor to mortality in contemporary PLWH.

Background

The association between HIV and emphysema remains incompletely understood. We sought to determine whether HIV is an independent risk factor for emphysema severity and whether markers of HIV severity and systemic biomarkers of inflammation (IL-6), altered coagulation (D-dimer), and immune activation (soluble CD14) are associated with emphysema.

Methods

We performed a cross-sectional analysis of 114 participants with HIV infection and 89 participants without HIV infection in the Examinations of HIV-Associated Lung Emphysema (EXHALE) study. Participants underwent chest CT imaging with blinded semiquantitative interpretation of emphysema severity, distribution, and type. We generated multivariable logistic regression models to determine the risk of HIV for radiographic emphysema, defined as > 10% lung involvement. Similar analyses examined associations of plasma biomarkers, HIV RNA, and recent and nadir CD4 cell counts with emphysema among participants with HIV infection.

Results

Participants with HIV infection had greater radiographic emphysema severity with increased lower lung zone and diffuse involvement. HIV was associated with significantly increased risk for > 10% emphysema in analyses adjusted for cigarette smoking pack-years (OR, 2.24; 95% CI, 1.12-4.48). In multivariable analyses restricted to participants with HIV infection, nadir CD4 < 200 cells/μL (OR, 2.98; 95% CI, 1.14-7.81), and high soluble CD14 level (upper 25th percentile) (OR, 2.55; 95% CI, 1.04-6.22) were associated with increased risk of > 10% emphysema. IL-6 and D-dimer were not associated with emphysema in HIV.

Conclusions

HIV is an independent risk factor for radiographic emphysema. Emphysema severity was significantly greater among participants with HIV infection. Among those with HIV, nadir CD4 < 200 cells/μL and elevated soluble CD14 level were associated with emphysema, highlighting potential mechanisms linking HIV with emphysema.

Background

People with HIV (PWH) with access to antiretroviral therapy (ART) experience excess morbidity and mortality compared with uninfected patients, particularly those with persistent viremia and without CD4+ cell recovery. We compared outcomes for medical intensive care unit (MICU) survivors with unsuppressed (>500 copies/ml) and suppressed (≤500 copies/ml) HIV-1 RNA and HIV-uninfected survivors, adjusting for CD4+ cell count.

Setting

We studied 4537 PWH [unsuppressed = 38%; suppressed = 62%; 72% Veterans Affairs-based (VA) and 10 531 (64% VA) uninfected Veterans who survived MICU admission after entering the Veterans Aging Cohort Study (VACS) between fiscal years 2001 and 2015.

Methods

Primary outcomes were all-cause 30-day and 6-month readmission and mortality, adjusted for demographics, CD4+ cell category (≥350 (reference); 200-349; 50-199; <50), comorbidity and prior healthcare utilization using proportional hazards models. We also adjusted for severity of illness using discharge VACS Index (VI) 2.0 among VA-based survivors.

Results

In adjusted models, CD4+ categories <350 cells/μl were associated with increased risk for both outcomes up to 6 months, and risk increased with lower CD4+ categories (e.g. 6-month mortality CD4+ 200-349 hazard ratio [HR] = 1.35 [1.12-1.63]; CD4+ <50 HR = 2.14 [1.72-2.66]); unsuppressed status was not associated with outcomes. After adjusting for VI in models stratified by HIV, VI quintiles were strongly associated with both outcomes at both time points.

Conclusion

PWH who survive MICU admissions are at increased risk for worse outcomes compared with uninfected, especially those without CD4+ cell recovery. Severity of illness at discharge is the strongest predictor for outcomes regardless of HIV status. Strategies including intensive case management for HIV-specific and general organ dysfunction may improve outcomes for MICU survivors.