Symptoms and Treatment of Cytomegalovirus (CMV) Pneumonia
July 28, 2009
People with suppressed immune systems are at increased risk for contracting a lung infection known as Cytomegalovirus Pneumonia (CMV).
Causes, incidence, and risk factors
CMV is a common infection caused by a group of viruses that belong to the herpes family. The majority of healthy adults will test positive for CMV antibodies, which indicates that they have previously been infected with CMV.
Although CMV does not generally result in symptoms, people with impaired immunity are at risk for severe CMV infections. Examples of conditions that may result in immune deficiency include AIDS, having undergone a bone marrow transplant, an organ transplant or chemotherapy. Bone marrow and organ transplant patients are most susceptible to infection 5-13 weeks after the procedure.
Symptoms
Symptoms of CMV include fever, fatigue and cough. Malaise or general feelings of uneasiness and discomfort are common. Patients generally experience joint pains or muscle aches, a loss of appetite, shortness of breath during exertion or at rest, and excessive night sweats.
Signs and tests
Blood tests and urine cultures are performed to detect and measure substances that are unique to CMV. In addition to a chest x-ray, other tests may include blood cultures, arterial blood gas and bronchoscopy with biopsy.
Treatment
Antiviral drugs are administered in an effort to stop the virus from replicating within the body. Intravenous medication may need to be administered to some patients.
Until the infection is brought under control, some patients may need assistance to maintain proper blood oxygen levels. This can be achieved through oxygen therapy and by providing breathing support with a ventilator.
Expectations (prognosis)
Although antiviral medications prevent CMV from replicating, they cannot destroy CMV. CMV continues to exist within the body and suppress the immune system. This means that the patient may be at increased risk for other infections as a result of immunosuppression.
Complications
Severe cases of CMV pneumonia may result in a super infection that does not respond to treatment. Infections that do respond to treatment may result in a relapse of infection.
The drugs used to treat CMV infections may result in additional complications, including a low white blood cell count and impaired kidney function.
CMV increases the replication rate in people infected with the HIV virus. Patients infected with AIDS are faced with additional complications, including CMV pneumonia, intestinal disease, inflammation of the retina and CMV mononucleosis, an infectious mononucleosis-like illness.
Prevention
Some precautions can be taken to prevent CMV pneumonia in certain individuals. They include using CMV-negative blood products for transfusion, using CMV-immune globulin in certain patients and using CMV-negative donors when performing organ transplants.
For people with a damaged or poorly functioning immune system, AIDS prevention is essential to avoiding CMV and other opportunistic diseases.
Tell a Friend:
We would like to see your Comments here..
St.Botanica Cosmetics
Recent Articles
Natural breast enhancement
Do you feel that your breasts are too small? Have they become misshapen after years of gaining and losing weight? If so, you may be considering different ways to enhance the size
3 Sexually Transmitted Diseases
Healthy sex is pleasurable and it has a lot of health benefits. On the other hand, unsafe sex brings a lot of worry when one gets infected. It is therefore very important
Why People Suffer From Panic Attacks
A Panic Attack is a psychological condition in which the person fears the possible next Panic Attack. It is said that every human being has this fear.
How To Increase Your Breast Size
Women with small breasts tend to lack confidence in their breast size. Society defines a beautiful, sexy woman as one who has round, full breasts.
How Lactose intolerance affects people?
When someone is not able to abstract the important amount of lactose, it is known as lactose intolerance. The inability of the cells to produce sufficient
