Contents

Disclaimer

Oxford University Press makes no representation, express or implied, that the drug dosages in this book are correct. Readers must therefore always check the product information and clinical procedures with the most up to date published product information and data sheets provided by the manufacturers and the most recent codes of conduct and safety regulations. The authors and the publishers do not accept responsibility or legal liability for any errors in the text or for the misuse or misapplication of material in this work. Except where otherwise stated, drug dosages and recommendations are for the non-pregnant adult who is not breastfeeding.

Show Summary Details
Page of

Infection in the immunocompromised host 

Infection in the immunocompromised host
Chapter:
Infection in the immunocompromised host
Author(s):

Jon Cohen

, and Elham Khatamzas

DOI:
10.1093/med/9780198746690.003.0072
Page of

PRINTED FROM OXFORD MEDICINE ONLINE (www.oxfordmedicine.com). © Oxford University Press, 2021. All Rights Reserved. Under the terms of the licence agreement, an individual user may print out a PDF of a single chapter of a title in Oxford Medicine Online for personal use (for details see Privacy Policy and Legal Notice).

date: 05 March 2021

The term ‘immunocompromised host’ embraces a group of overlapping conditions in which the ability to respond normally to an infective challenge is in some way impaired. This includes patients with underlying conditions such as protein–calorie malnutrition and diabetes, as well as organ transplant recipients, those with haematological malignancies and others receiving therapeutic immunosuppression, and patients with HIV infection. Many patients have multiple risk factors that increase the risk of opportunistic infection. A high level of awareness is essential for the management of patients who are immunocompromised; infections can progress very quickly, the early physical signs are often muted, and the microbiology can be confusing.

Access to the complete content on Oxford Medicine Online requires a subscription or purchase. Public users are able to search the site and view the abstracts for each book and chapter without a subscription.

Please subscribe or login to access full text content.

If you have purchased a print title that contains an access token, please see the token for information about how to register your code.

For questions on access or troubleshooting, please check our FAQs, and if you can't find the answer there, please contact us.