Allergic Bronchopulmonary Aspergillosis With or Without Asthmatic Symptoms?

Cureus. 2021 Jun 7;13(6):e15498. doi: 10.7759/cureus.15498. eCollection 2021 Jun.

Abstract

Allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis (ABPA) is a localized inflammatory airway disease seen in patients sensitized to Aspergillus fumigatus (A. fumigatus) antigens. The disease presents with productive cough, wheezing, episodic fever, as well as central bronchiectasis (CB) and mucus plugs on computed tomography (CT) scans. If treated accordingly, symptoms and pulmonary damage caused by ABPA can be reverted. Currently, the diagnostic criteria for ABPA require the diagnosis of predisposing pulmonary diseases such as asthma and cystic fibrosis (CF) in order to establish the diagnosis. There has been an increasing number of cases reporting ABPA without evidence of past asthmatic history or symptoms. This reflects the need for more sensitive diagnostic tests in order to prevent progression to irreversible lung injury. Here we report a 22-year-old Puerto Rican male who went undiagnosed for ABPA for 12 months due to the absence of asthma or CF history.

Keywords: allergic broncho-pulmonary aspergillosis; aspergillus fumigatus; asthma; non-cf bronchiectasis; rare lung diseases.

Publication types

  • Case Reports

Grants and funding

This research was funded by the Hispanic Center of Excellence, University of Puerto Rico School of Medicine, Grant Number: D34HP24463, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Health Resources and Services Administration, Bureau of Health Workforce.