Published: 26-03-2018

Using the specialised search filters in the heoro.com database, and importing the results into a custom Evidence Map, we identified studies on the humanistic and economic burden and epidemiology of Pneumocystic pneumonia.

We ran the search from 1960 to December 2017 and analysed the abstracts identified by the search to determine the range of study types, geographical locations, disease types, interventions and study methodologies.

Using an Evidence Map to present the findings, we were able to easily explore the results. Examples are shown below, and to download a free copy of the map click here. To use the Map, open it in Excel and enable macros.

The search identified 66 independent abstracts, 50 of which included patients with HIV. Most of these studies included details on mortality, and included an economic model.

The evidence for patients with HIV also focussed on treatment with pentamidine or trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole.

Further inspection of the pattern of evidence for the interventions studied revealed that the bulk of those looking at pentamidine or trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole were conducted between 1990 and 1999. In fact, very few studies published since 2000 on Pneumocystic pneumonia have included an explicit intervention.

The most recent studies, published since 2010, have been mortality studies, economic models, efficacy studies, and studies investigating diagnostic tools.

 You can download a free copy of the Evidence Map here. 

Written and Created by Cassie Springate

Researcher at Crystallise