Use of amphotericin B lipid complex in elderly patients.
OBJECTIVE
The safety and effectiveness of amphotericin B lipid complex (ABLC) treatment in elderly patients was investigated using a large multicenter database.


METHODS
Data analysis was conducted on retrospectively collected patient data from 572 patients >65 years of age and 2930 patients < or =65 years of age treated for fungal infections at 160 North American hospitals.


RESULTS
Patients were typically treated with ABLC for Candidiasis, multiple fungal pathogen infections and Aspergillosis, or were treated empirically. The median cumulative dose of ABLC in patients >65 years of age and those 65 years of age was similar (3000 and 3258 mg, respectively, P=0.127). Despite higher median pretreatment serum creatinine (S-Cr) among patients >65 years of age (1.7 mg/dl vs. 1.4 mg/dl, respectively), both groups showed only a 0.1mg/dl median S-Cr change from baseline by the end of therapy (P=0.525). Clinical response was 56 and 51%, respectively, in patients >65 years of age and patients 65 years of age or younger (P=0.049).


CONCLUSIONS
This study suggests that ABLC can be safely and effectively used in the treatment of invasive fungal disease in elderly patients.
Hooshmand-Rad
Roya
R
ProSanos Corporation, La Jolla CA 92037, USA.
Chu
Alice
A
Gotz
Vincent
V
Morris
Jonathan
J
Batty
Scott
S
Freifeld
Alison
A
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000666:Amphotericin B / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D000935:Antifungal Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D003404:Creatinine / Q000097:blood; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007668:Kidney / Q000187:drug effects / Q000503:physiopathology; D008297:Male; D009181:Mycoses / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000503:physiopathology; D012189:Retrospective Studies
D000935:Antifungal Agents; D000666:Amphotericin B; D003404:Creatinine