Abstract
Worldwide aging of the human population has promoted an increase in the incidence of neoplasia, including hematological cancers, which render patients particularly vulnerable to invasive fungal infections. For this reason, air filtration in hematooncology units has been recommended. However, scarce literature has assessed the impact of microbiological air quality on the occurrence of fungal infections in this population. We performed an integrative review of studies in the MEDLINE database that were published between January 1980 and October 2012, using the following combinations of keywords: air × quality × HEPA, air × quality × hematology, and airborne fungal infections. The search yielded only 13 articles, suggesting that high-efficiency filtering of the ambient air in hemato-oncology units can prevent the incidence of invasive fungal infections. However, no randomized clinical trial was found to confirm this suggestion. Currently, there is no consensus about the maximum allowable count of fungi in the air, which complicates filtration monitoring, including filter maintenance and replacement, and needs to be addressed in future studies.
Highlights
The expansion of the elderly population is a worldwide phenomenon that is occurring in Brazil, and with this expansion comes an increased incidence of neoplasia[1]
Menegueti MG et al - Impact of air quality on fungal infections in hemato-oncology patients for air filtration, this study aimed to review the literature on air quality and its association with fungal infections in hematooncology patients
Scientific observations evaluating the microbiological air quality in hemato-oncology units and the relationship between air quality and the incidence of invasive fungal infections in patients admitted to these units are relatively scarce
Summary
The expansion of the elderly population is a worldwide phenomenon that is occurring in Brazil, and with this expansion comes an increased incidence of neoplasia[1]. Cancer is a major public health problem in Brazil and many other parts of the world. It is estimated that in this country, 1 in 3 women and 1 in 2 men will develop cancer during their lifetime[2]. Acute myeloid leukemia, are rarely diagnosed before age 40 but exhibit an exponential increase in incidence with age. Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation has been a widely used alternative in the treatment of leukemias[4]. It is important to note that both the period of neutropenia prior to the grafting of these cells and chemotherapy-induced neutropenia involve intense immunosuppression of these patients, making these individuals
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