Lung Function and Aspergillus fumigatus Sensitization in Asthma

A. fumigatus was cultured at a higher rate and lung function was worse in asthma patients sensitized to this fungus than in those not sensitized.

Allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis (ABPA), a hypersensitivity reaction to Aspergillus fumigatus colonization of the airways, affects about 40,000 people in the U.K.; it is seen in ≤8% of patients with asthma and 13% of those with cystic fibrosis. However, many patients with A. fumigatus–associated asthma (AFAA) do not meet all the diagnostic criteria for ABPA. How important is A. fumigatus sensitization and airway colonization in patients with AFAA?

To find out, researchers recruited consecutive patients with asthma from a hospital in the U.K. and categorized them into three groups: Group 1 (n=40) had elevated A. fumigatus IgE serum levels, or a wheal in response to a skin prick with Aspergillus antigen; group 2 (n=13) had only elevated…

Reviewing Author

Neil M. Ampel, MD

Disclosures

Editorial BoardsUpToDate

Leadership Positions in Professional SocietiesCoccidioidomycosis Study Group (Past President, Secretary, Treasurer)

Neil M. Ampel, MD

Disclosures

Editorial BoardsUpToDate

Leadership Positions in Professional SocietiesCoccidioidomycosis Study Group (Past President, Secretary, Treasurer)