Pneumocystis pneumonia, a COVID-19 mimic, reminds us of the importance of HIV testing in COVID-19

Clinical Medicine : Journal of the Royal College of Physicians of London
Sophie KellyAnna M Geretti

Abstract

While clinical environments are highly focused on COVID-19, reports of missed or delayed treatment for conditions that imitate COVID-19, such as pneumonia caused by the fungus Pneumocystis jirovecii, are emerging. Given the uncertain spectrum of COVID-19 presentations and variable sensitivity of laboratory tests for SARS-CoV-2, there is a risk that, without a high index of suspicion, alternative aetiologies may be overlooked while pursuing a diagnosis of COVID-19. The British HIV Association has been calling for the inclusion of HIV testing in all patients admitted to hospital with suspected COVID-19. In this article we reflect on the importance of including HIV testing to prevent avoidable morbidity and mortality in our patients.

Citations

Jan 23, 2021·Clinical Medicine : Journal of the Royal College of Physicians of London·Sarah Ann FilsonPadmasayee Papineni
Jan 23, 2021·Clinical Medicine : Journal of the Royal College of Physicians of London·Avinash Aujayeb
Feb 7, 2021·Rheumatology·Tim Blake, Basil Noureldin
Aug 9, 2021·Trends in Parasitology·Magdalena Szydłowicz, Olga Matos
Aug 24, 2021·Clinical and Experimental Medicine·Amir AbdoliAzra Kenarkoohi
Sep 25, 2021·Journal of Public Health Research·Eugenia Quiros-RoldanFrancesco Castelli
Nov 18, 2021·Clinical Microbiology Reviews·Fabián SalazarAdilia Warris

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