[Adverse effects of cotrimoxazole in Spanish patients with AIDS and pneumonia caused by Pneumocystis carinii]

Abstract

We retrospectively analyze the untoward effects due to cotrimoxazole (CMX) when this drug was used as initial therapy in 37 Spanish AIDS patients with Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia (PCP). A total of 46% of patients developed an adverse reaction, that was considered severe in 24.3% of cases, and prompted to stop CMX therapy in 10.8% of patients. The most frequent untoward effects were low white blood cells count (29.7%), skin rash (16.2%) and low platelet count (13.5%). The overall compliance and absence of undesirable effects to CMX seen in our patients, together with the well established clinical efficacy of this drug, allow us to recommend the use of CMX as initial therapy for Spanish AIDS patients with PCP.