AIDSinfo. USD of H and HS. Guidelines for the Prevention and Treatment of Opportunistic Infections in HIV-Infected Adults and Adolescents. Available from: https://aidsinfo.nih.gov/guidelines/html/4/adult-and-adolescent-opportunistic-infection/0
B Clotet, M Grifol, O Parra, J Boix, J Junca, J Tor, M Foz
Asymptomatic esophageal candidiasis in the acquired-immunodeficiency-syndrome-related complex.
Ann Intern Med. 1986 Jul;105(1):145.
Abstract/Text
M Bonacini, T Young, L Laine
The causes of esophageal symptoms in human immunodeficiency virus infection. A prospective study of 110 patients.
Arch Intern Med. 1991 Aug;151(8):1567-72.
Abstract/Text
STUDY OBJECTIVES: --To determine the prevalence of infectious agents in patients with human immunodeficiency virus infection and odynophagia or dysphagia; the utility of endoscopic, histologic, cytologic, and virologic testing for the diagnosis of esophagitis; and the yield of blind brushings of the esophagus in this setting.
DESIGN: --Prospective clinical case study.
SETTING: --Urban county hospital.
PATIENTS: --One hundred ten consecutive patients with esophageal symptoms and documented human immunodeficiency virus infection.
INTERVENTION: --Blind brushing of the esophagus via orogastric tube followed by endoscopy with esophageal brushing for fungal stain, Papanicolau smear, and viral cultures and esophageal biopsies for histologic examination and viral culture.
MAIN RESULTS: --Seventy-two (65%) of the 110 patients had a total of 100 esophageal infections. Thirty-three (30%) had Candida alone, 22 (20%) had Candida and cytomegalovirus, two (1.8%) had Candida with cytomegalovirus and herpes simplex virus, seven (6%) had cytomegalovirus alone, six (5%) had herpes simplex virus alone, and two (1.8%) had both viruses. Fifty of 55 patients with plaques alone had Candida, and two (4%) had only viral infection. Of 19 patients with erosions or ulcers, 11 (58%) had a viral infection, two (11%) had Candida alone, and six (30%) had no etiologic agent identified. The sensitivity of endoscopic brushings (95%) was better than that of histologic examination (70%) in the diagnosis of Candida esophagitis. Likewise, viral cultures of brushings or biopsy specimens were more sensitive (67%) than histologic examination (35%) for viral esophagitis. Blind brushing of the esophagus had a sensitivity and specificity for infectious esophagitis of 84% and 75%, respectively. Oral thrush had a sensitivity of 53% and a positive predictive value of 77% for Candida esophagitis.
C M Wilcox, R F Straub, L N Alexander, W S Clark
Etiology of esophageal disease in human immunodeficiency virus-infected patients who fail antifungal therapy.
Am J Med. 1996 Dec;101(6):599-604.
Abstract/Text
PURPOSE: To determine the etiologies of esophageal symptoms in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected patients failing antifungal treatment.
METHODS: Between August 1, 1990 and December 31, 1994, all HIV-infected patients seen at a large inner-city hospital who had esophageal complaints despite being on antifungal therapy were prospectively evaluated for the cause of symptoms. Thus, the population studied included patients given empiric antifungal therapy for esophageal symptoms and patients who developed symptoms while on long-term antifungal therapy. Endoscopy was performed in all patients. The cause of symptoms was determined by the clinical, endoscopic, and pathologic findings, and follow-up after treatment.
RESULTS: Over the 53-month study period, 74 patients failing empiric antifungal therapy were identified. The majority (77%) of these patients had esophageal ulcers; 25 patients had idiopathic ulcers and 24 had cytomegalovirus. In 2 patients, Candida was present with other causes of ulcerative esophagitis. Candida esophagitis alone was diagnosed in only 3 patients. No endoscopic abnormalities were observed in 14 patients (19%). An additional 24 patients developed esophageal symptoms while receiving antifungal therapy; endoscopic findings in these patients included ulceration in 16 (67%), Candida esophagitis alone in 2, and normal in 6. Empirically treated patients in whom odynophagia was not the only symptom, those with dysphagia alone, and those with a CD4 count > 100/mm3 were less likely to have an endoscopic diagnosis.
CONCLUSIONS: Esophageal ulceration is the most common cause of esophageal symptoms in HIV-infected patients failing empiric antifungal therapy and those developing symptoms while receiving antifungal agents. Given these findings, endoscopy should be the test of choice for these nonresponders, rather than escalating the dose of antifungal agent, adding other empiric treatments, or performing barium esophagography.
Namal Weerasuriya, Jeremy Snape
Oesophageal candidiasis in elderly patients: risk factors, prevention and management.
Drugs Aging. 2008;25(2):119-30.
Abstract/Text
This article reviews risk factors, prevention and management of oesophageal candidiasis (OC) in the elderly. Putative risk factors for OC in the elderly include old age itself, malignant disease, antibacterial and corticosteroid use, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, acid suppression treatment, oesophageal dysmotility and other local factors, diabetes mellitus and HIV/AIDS. We have found evidence for a risk association between OC in the elderly and malignant disease (both haematological and non-haematological), antibacterial therapy and corticosteroid (including inhaled corticosteroids) use. We also found evidence of an association between OC in the elderly and oesophageal dysmotility or HIV/AIDS, but little direct evidence of an association between diabetes or old age per se. The literature on OC in the elderly is not large. The published series evaluating OC in this age group are small in size, often do not contain controls and mostly contain only limited information about the age of the patients. Prevention of OC is mainly the avoidance of exposure to the risk factors wherever possible. Specific measures such as highly active antiretroviral therapy in AIDS, prophylactic fluconazole when receiving chemotherapy for malignancy, using spacing devices, mouth rinsing soon after inhalation of corticosteroids and avoiding the use of cortiocosteroids just before bedtime are useful. OC is often responsive to a 2- to 3-week course of oral fluconazole, but resistance may be encountered in AIDS or in the presence of uncorrected anatomical factors in the oesophagus. Itraconazole solution, voriconazole or caspofungin may be used in refractory cases. Use of amphotericin B is restricted because of its narrow therapeutic index.
Peter G Pappas, Carol A Kauffman, David R Andes, Cornelius J Clancy, Kieren A Marr, Luis Ostrosky-Zeichner, Annette C Reboli, Mindy G Schuster, Jose A Vazquez, Thomas J Walsh, Theoklis E Zaoutis, Jack D Sobel
Clinical Practice Guideline for the Management of Candidiasis: 2016 Update by the Infectious Diseases Society of America.
Clin Infect Dis. 2016 Feb 15;62(4):e1-50. doi: 10.1093/cid/civ933. Epub 2015 Dec 16.
Abstract/Text
It is important to realize that guidelines cannot always account for individual variation among patients. They are not intended to supplant physician judgment with respect to particular patients or special clinical situations. IDSA considers adherence to these guidelines to be voluntary, with the ultimate determination regarding their application to be made by the physician in the light of each patient's individual circumstances.
© The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press for the Infectious Diseases Society of America. All rights reserved. For permissions, e-mail journals.permissions@oup.com.
C M Wilcox
Short report: time course of clinical response with fluconazole for Candida oesophagitis in patients with AIDS.
Aliment Pharmacol Ther. 1994 Jun;8(3):347-50.
Abstract/Text
BACKGROUND: Although fluconazole is increasingly utilized for the therapy of Candida oesophagitis in patients with AIDS, the time course of response has not been adequately defined.
METHODS: Over a 48-month period, all HIV-infected patients undergoing upper endoscopy at a large city-county hospital were identified prospectively. Symptomatic patients with endoscopic and histopathologically confirmed Candida oesophagitis in whom oral antifungal therapy had not been received within the past three months were treated in an open-label fashion with fluconazole 200 mg on the first day followed by 100 mg daily for two weeks. All patients were followed clinically to determine the rapidity of response.
RESULTS: Eighteen patients were identified; all but two were male. Candida oesophagitis was graded as severe in 13 patients (72%). A complete symptomatic response was seen by five days in seven patients (39%) and by seven days in nine additional patients (cumulative response, 89%). The two other patients had improved by at least 50% at one week, with a complete symptomatic response seen at two weeks.
CONCLUSIONS: Our study confirms anecdotal experience suggesting that fluconazole results in a rapid clinical response for Candida oesophagitis in patients with AIDS. Given this rapidity, a one-week course of empiric treatment with fluconazole for HIV-infected patients with newly developed esophageal symptoms could be used as an appropriate time period to assess a response prior to further diagnostic evaluation with endoscopy.
