Bacillary Angiomatosis Follow-up
- Author: KoKo Aung, MD, MPH, FACP; Chief Editor: Burke A Cunha, MD more...
Further Outpatient Care
- For cutaneous lesions, the number and size of the lesions should be monitored to determine the efficacy of treatment.
- For visceral involvement, imaging study findings, hepatic transaminase levels, organomegaly, and/or lymph node enlargement should be monitored to determine response to therapy.
Deterrence/Prevention
- Prevention of bacillary angiomatosis associated with B henselae infection is as follows:
- Avoid cat contact.
- Control flea infestations in cats.
- Prevention of bacillary angiomatosis associated with B quintana infection is as follows:
- Delousing procedures, such as permethrin dusting powder (1%, 30-50 g per adult), can be used.
- Clothing and bedding should also be treated.
- Use of macrolides for Mycobacterium avium-intracellulare prophylaxis in patients infected with HIV is protective against bacillary angiomatosis.
Complications
- Disfigurement
- Biliary obstruction and jaundice
- Gastrointestinal bleeding
- Encephalopathy
- Laryngeal obstruction and asphyxiation
Prognosis
- The prognosis of bacillary angiomatosis itself is excellent because antibiotics are curative in most patients.
- Untreated bacillary angiomatosis may be progressive and life-threatening.
- The lesions resolve completely after treatment. Hyperpigmentation or slight induration at the site of a lesion may persist indefinitely. Relapses can occur after cessation of therapy and are common in immunocompromised hosts.
- Treatment may be more difficult and requires a longer duration of therapy if the diagnosis is delayed.
- Overall prognosis depends on early detection and treatment and the degree of immunosuppression.
Patient Education
- Immunocompromised patients and their caregivers should be advised to avoid cat contact and to control flea infestations in cats.
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