Chronic Pulmonary Aspergillosis

The Basics

Written by the doctors and editors at UpToDate пїЅ пїЅ

What is chronic pulmonary aspergillosis? " пїЅ Chronic pulmonary aspergillosis is a lung disease that causes weight loss, cough, and other symptoms. It lasts for longer than 3 months. It is caused by infection with a fungus called "aspergillus. " пїЅ пїЅ пїЅ

Chronic pulmonary aspergillosis happens in people who already have lung damage or disease, such as: пїЅ пїЅ

Tuberculosis " пїЅ This is a lung infection caused by a certain type of bacteria.
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, also called "COPD " пїЅ " пїЅ This is a lung condition that makes it hard to breathe.
Sarcoidosis " пїЅ This disease causes clusters of abnormal tissue called "granulomas " пїЅ to form in the body. It can cause scar tissue to form in the lungs.
Allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis " пїЅ This is an allergic reaction to the aspergillus fungus.
Lung cancer that was treated in the past.
Pneumothorax in the past " пїЅ "Pneumothorax " пїЅ is the medical term for a collapsed lung.

Some other conditions raise your risk for chronic pulmonary aspergillosis. These include: пїЅ пїЅ

Diabetes
Alcoholism
Taking steroid medicines " пїЅ These medicines make it harder for the immune system to work correctly. They are not the same as the steroids athletes take to build muscle.

What are the symptoms of chronic pulmonary aspergillosis? " пїЅ The symptoms include: пїЅ пїЅ

Losing weight without trying
Coughing " пїЅ The cough often brings up mucus. Some people cough up blood. A mild cough is the only symptom some people have.
Feeling short of breath " пїЅ You might feel like you cannot get enough air or have to work harder than normal to breathe.
Feeling tired
Chest pain " пїЅ This might be a sharp, stabbing pain that gets worse when you breathe in.

Some people have a fever or get hot and sweaty at night. пїЅ пїЅ

Should I see a doctor or nurse? " пїЅ Call your doctor or nurse right away if: пїЅ пїЅ

You have a cough and have lost weight without trying.
You cough up blood.
You have sharp, stabbing chest pain that gets worse when you breathe in.

Will I need tests? " пїЅ Yes. The doctor or nurse will do an exam and learn about your symptoms. You will also have some or all of these tests: пїЅ пїЅ

Chest X-ray
CT scan of the chest " пїЅ This is an imaging test that uses a special X-ray to create pictures of the inside of the body. It can show more detail than a regular X-ray.
Blood tests
Breathing tests " пїЅ For these tests, you breathe hard into a tube. The tests show how well your lungs are working.
Tests on a sample of mucus that you cough up
Bronchoscopy " пїЅ This is a procedure in which a doctor uses a thin tube (called a "bronchoscope " пїЅ) to look inside your lungs and get a sample of fluid. You might have this test if other tests do not show whether you have chronic pulmonary aspergillosis for sure.

How is chronic pulmonary aspergillosis treated? " пїЅ Treatment depends on your situation, including any other lung problems you have. Treatments can include: пїЅ пїЅ

Medicines - These can kill the fungus that causes aspergillosis. You might take pills by mouth or get medicine through an "IV, " пїЅ a thin tube that goes into a vein.
A procedure called "embolization " пїЅ " пїЅ In this procedure, a doctor blocks blood vessels that are leaking into the lung. To do this, the doctor puts a thin tube into a blood vessel in your leg. Next, he or she moves the tube up to the area that is bleeding. Then the doctor uses the tube to put something in the blood vessel to block it, such as tiny plastic beads. You might have this procedure if you are coughing up a lot of blood.
Surgery " пїЅ Aspergillosis sometimes causes a ball of fungus, mucus, and cells to form in the lung. Doctors call this an "aspergilloma " пїЅ or "fungus ball. " пїЅ If it causes symptoms, such as coughing up blood, doctors might do surgery to take it out. But if a fungus ball does not cause symptoms, you might not need treatment right away. Your doctor can do regular exams and X-rays to check on it and treat it if it gets worse.
Oxygen " пїЅ If you have trouble breathing, you might need extra oxygen. You can get extra oxygen through a tube that goes to your nose or a mask you wear.

If you have surgery or embolization, you will probably also take medicine to kill the fungus. This can help keep it from spreading. пїЅ пїЅ

Many people who have chronic pulmonary aspergillosis need to take medicine for a long time, sometimes for life. These people need regular exams, blood tests, and chest X-rays to check how well the medicine is working. If it is not working well, they might need to switch treatments. пїЅ пїЅ

All topics are updated as new evidence becomes available and our peer review process is complete. пїЅ пїЅ

This topic retrieved from UpToDate on: Nov 04, 2014. пїЅ пїЅ

Topic 83431 Version 3.0 пїЅ пїЅ

Release: 22.8 - C22.208 пїЅ пїЅ

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Chronic Pulmonary Aspergillosis

The Basics

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