Pneumocystis prophylaxis needed when CD 24 count is?
High-Yield Explanation
ANSWER: (A) <200REF: Harrisons 17th ed chapter 182, CURRENT Medical Diagnosis 8j Treatment Chapter 31. HIV Infection & AIDSRepeat from December 2009The host factors that predispose to the development of Pneumocystis pneumonia (PcP) include defects in cellular and humoral immunity. The risk of PcP among HIV-infected patients rises markedly when circulating CD4+ T cell counts fall below 200/uL.Pneumocystis pneumonia is the most common opportunistic infection associated with AIDS. Pneumocystis pneumonia may be difficult to diagnose because the symptoms--fever, cough, and shortness of breath--are nonspecific.Other persons at risk for PcP are patients receiving immunosuppressive agents (particularly glucocorticoids) for cancer and organ transplantation; those receiving biologic agents such as infliximab and etanercept for rheumatoid arthritis and inflammatory bowel disease; children with primary immunodeficiency diseases; and premature malnourished infants.