Pulmonary infections in non-HIV-immunocompromised patients.
OBJECTIVE
Pulmonary infections are the most frequent complications in non-HIV-immunocompromised patients and portend a high mortality. This scenario represents a challenging task for clinicians and an important subject of clinical research from different perspectives. This review comments on the results of relevant original articles in this area published from 2003 to the present.


RESULTS
The present review addresses the etiology of the pulmonary infiltrates in immunocompromised patients, the use of new emerging diagnostic tools and medical devices in the clinical management of these infiltrates, and the greater understanding of the inflammatory immune response associated with infection in this setting.


CONCLUSIONS
Advances in diagnostic tests and therapeutic devices are facilitating the clinical management of pulmonary infections. New challenges are emerging, however, such as the growing evidence regarding the important role of respiratory viruses as a common cause of lower respiratory tract infections. Finally, new insights into the mechanisms of the inflammatory response associated with pulmonary complications can help understanding their pathogenesis, improve prevention and diagnosis, and anticipate future therapeutic modalities.
Rañó
Ana
A
Servei de Pneumologia, Hospital Mutua de Terrassa, Barcelona, Spain.
Agustí
Carlos
C
Sibila
Oriol
O
Torres
Antoni
A
D005260:Female; D018023:HIV Seronegativity; D006801:Humans; D016867:Immunocompromised Host; D015994:Incidence; D008172:Lung Diseases, Fungal / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000276:immunology; D008297:Male; D009894:Opportunistic Infections / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000276:immunology; D018410:Pneumonia, Bacterial / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000276:immunology; D011024:Pneumonia, Viral / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000276:immunology; D011379:Prognosis; D018570:Risk Assessment; D015996:Survival Rate