Pneumocystis jiroveci pneumonia associated with low-dose methotrexate treatment for rheumatoid arthritis

report of two cases and review of the literature

Kaneko, Yuko
Suwa, Akira
Ikeda, Yasuo
Hirakata, Michito

Department of Internal Medicine, Keio University School of Medicine, 35 Shinanomachi, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 160-8582, Japan

Correspondence to: Yuko Kaneko, Department of Internal Medicine, Keio University School of Medicine, 35 Shinanomachi, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 160-8582, Japan Tel. +81-3-3353-1211 (ext. 62315); Fax +81-3-5379-5037 e-mail: [email protected]

Received September 01, 2005

Accepted October 19, 2005

This article is published and distributed under the terms of the Oxford University Press, Standard Journals Publication Model (https://academic.oup.com/journals/pages/open_access/funder_policies/chorus/standard_publication_model)

Modern Rheumatology 16(1):p 36-38, February 01, 2006. | DOI: 10.3109/s10165-005-0443-5

Low-dose methotrexate (MTX) therapy is widely used for rheumatoid arthritis (RA) because of its favorable efficacy and toxicity profile. Although Pneumocystis jiroveci pneumonia (PCP) is most often seen in severely immunosuppressed patients, PCP complicating low-dose MTX therapy for RA has been reported to sometimes occur. We herein report two cases of patients who developed PCP during treatment with low-dose MTX, and discuss the importance of prophylaxis for this opportunistic infection.