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Pneumocystis Jirovecii Pneumonia During Sirolimus Therapy for Kaposiform Hemangioendothelioma

An infant with KHE with KMP developed PCP while on sirolimus. Pneumocystis prophylaxis should be considered for patients receiving sirolimus. Sirolimus is an effective therapy for children with kaposiform hemangioendothelioma… Click to show full abstract

An infant with KHE with KMP developed PCP while on sirolimus. Pneumocystis prophylaxis should be considered for patients receiving sirolimus. Sirolimus is an effective therapy for children with kaposiform hemangioendothelioma with or without the Kasabach-Merritt phenomenon. We report the case of a child with kaposiform hemangioendothelioma and the Kasabach-Merritt phenomenon who developed Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia (PCP) while on sirolimus and a prednisolone taper, after lack of adequate response to prednisolone, propranolol, and vincristine. He had a prompt positive clinical and laboratory response to sirolimus, but 4 weeks after starting it, at the age of 4 months, he developed PCP. This led to respiratory failure, which required extracorporeal membrane oxygenation. Sirolimus was temporarily discontinued, and he was successfully treated for PCP with sulfamethoxazole-trimethoprim and methylprednisolone. He was restarted on sirolimus 3 weeks after discharge and given sulfamethoxazole-trimethoprim prophylaxis. At the age of 22 months, while still on sirolimus, the lesion continued to improve with test results revealing stable hemoglobin and platelet counts. PCP is a rare but life-threatening side effect of sirolimus therapy, especially in the setting of concurrent steroid treatment. Pneumocystis prophylaxis should be considered for patients receiving sirolimus.

Keywords: pneumocystis; sirolimus; kaposiform hemangioendothelioma; sirolimus therapy

Journal Title: Pediatrics
Year Published: 2018

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