Chronic pulmonary aspergillosis
| Chronic pulmonary aspergillosis | |
|---|---|
| An example of aspergilloma, one form of chronic pulmonary aspergillosis, following tuberculosis. | |
| Specialty | Infectious disease |
| Symptoms | Weight loss, cough, shortness of breath, haemoptysis, fatigue, malaise, chest pain, sputum production, fever |
| Risk factors | Underlying respiratory disease, genetic defects |
| Diagnostic method | Via imaging (chest X-ray, high resolution CT scanning) |
| Differential diagnosis | Lung cancer, tuberculosis, other fungal infections |
| Treatment | Antifungal medications (oral or intravenous), surgery, glucocorticoids |
| Prognosis | Approximately 20-40% mortality at 3 years; 50-80% at 7-10 years |
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Chronic pulmonary aspergillosis is a long-term fungal infection caused by members of the genus Aspergillus—most commonly Aspergillus fumigatus. The term describes several disease presentations with considerable overlap, ranging from an aspergilloma—a clump of Aspergillus mold in the lungs—through to a subacute, invasive form known as chronic necrotizing pulmonary aspergillosis which affects people whose immune system is weakened. Many people affected by chronic pulmonary aspergillosis have an underlying lung disease, most commonly tuberculosis, allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis, asthma, or lung cancer.