title: Early treatment with acyclovir for varicella pneumonia in otherwise healthy adults: retrospective controlled study and review.
abstract: The effect of early acyclovir therapy on the course of varicella pneumonia in previously healthy adults was assessed. Medical records from five university-affiliated medical centers were retrospectively reviewed; included were all immunocompetent adults with a clinical diagnosis of primary varicella, a chest radiograph consistent with varicella pneumonia, and an arterial blood gas measurement indicating significant hypoxia. Of the 38 patients who met the study criteria, 11 had had a course of intravenous acyclovir initiated within the first 36 hours of hospitalization; the mean time from admission to initiation of therapy in this early-treatment group was 9.6 hours. The group that received early acyclovir treatment had a lower mean temperature beginning on the fifth day of hospitalization (37.0 degrees C vs. 37.7 degrees C; P = .011) and a lower mean respiratory rate beginning on the sixth day of hospitalization (21 vs. 28 respirations per minute; P = .004). Early acyclovir therapy also resulted in a significant improvement in oxygenation beginning on the sixth day of hospitalization in patients with follow-up arterial blood gas measurements (P = .035). Thus, early institution of acyclovir therapy is associated with reduction in fever and tachypnea and improvement in oxygenation in otherwise healthy adults with varicella pneumonia.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, UCLA School of Medicine 90024-1688.
authors.forename: D A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Haake
authors.forename: P C
authors.initials: PC
authors.lastname: Zakowski
authors.forename: D L
authors.initials: DL
authors.lastname: Haake
authors.forename: Y J
authors.initials: YJ
authors.lastname: Bryson
mesh_terms: D000212:Acyclovir / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000328:Adult; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D002644:Chickenpox / Q000188:drug therapy*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011024:Pneumonia, Viral / Q000188:drug therapy*; D011247:Pregnancy; D011251:Pregnancy Complications, Infectious / Q000188:drug therapy*; D012189:Retrospective Studies
chemical_list: D000212:Acyclovir