[Pneumocystitis carinii pneumonia in adult patients with AIDS].

Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia continues to be the commonest opportunistic infection seen in AIDS patients. Early diagnosis and treatment have caused the one-year survival in AIDS-patients with PCP to increase steadily. However, PCP is still the cause of death in 25% of the AIDS-patients. Secondary prophylaxis with pentamidine-isethionate inhalations has reduced the risk of PCP relapse considerably. The risk of PCP is markedly increased at CD4-cell counts below 200 mio/l. Therefore, inhalations of pentamidine twice monthly, as a primary prophylaxis against PCP, can be recommended in HIV-positive patients with CD4-cell counts below this level.