ObjectiveTo investigate the chest radiographic and computed tomographic manifestations of allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis (ABPA). MethodWe retrospectively analyzed the chest radiographic and computed tomographic manifestations of 20 ABPA patients treated between December 2005 and December 2013. ResultsChest radiograph showed that there were 4 negative cases, 14 cases of solid mass, 10 cases of increased and disorder of bronchovascular shadows, and 5 cases of bronchiectasis. Chest computed tomography showed that there were one negative case, 18 cases of bronchiectasis, 17 cases of central bronchiectasis among which central and peripheral bronchi were involved in 6 cases and 1 case presented as pure peripheral bronchiectasis, 11 cases of tree-in-bud signs, 6 cases of mucous embolism, 8 cases of solid mass, 5 cases of ground-glass opacity, 4 cases of pleural thickening, 3 cases of pleural effusion, and 2 cases of atelectasis. ConclusionsFor asthma and cystic fibrosis patients, central bronchiectasis on chest CT indicates the diagnosis of ABPA, but it cannot be considered as a characteristic feature. Bronchiectasis combined with high attenuation mucus may be a characteristic feature of ABPA although it is rare.
ObjectiveTo investigate the clinical manifestations, diagnosis and treatments of allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis (ABPA). MethodsThe clinical data of four cases of ABPA diagnosed in our department between 2009 and 2014 were analyzed. The related literature was also reviewed. ResultsABPA tends to occur in people with chronic lung diseases, such as asthma and cystic fibrosis. The main clinical manifestations are wheezing, fever, cough, and sputum production. Laboratory examinations include immediate Aspergillus skin test reactivity, elevated total serum IgE and Aspergillus specific IgE and IgG antibodies, and peripheral blood eosinophilia. Radiological findings include recurrent chest roentgenographic infiltrates and central bronchiectasis. Treatments involve corticosteroids and antifungal therapy with itraconazole. ConclusionsABPA is easy to misdiagnosis clinically. It should be considered in patients with poor controlled asthma and asthmatic patients with acute pulmonary infiltrates. Early diagnosis and proper treatment can minimize lung injury from ABPA and improve outcomes.
Objective To improve the diagnosis and treatment of pulmonary infiltration with eosinophilia (PIE). Methods Patients who were diagnosed with PIE in the First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University from January 2004 to December 2013 were recruited and retrospectively analyzed. Data of etiology, clinical manifestation, imaging and pathological features were recorded. Results pulmonary eosinophilic granuloma (PEG) (n=2), eosinophilic granulomatosis with polyangiitis (EGPA) (n=7), Löffler syndrome (n=4), allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis (ABPA) (n=16), and chronic eosinophilic pneumonia (CEP) (n=19). There were 27 males and 21 females. 47.9% of the PIE patients were diagnosed as asthma and treated with regular treatment but had not been controlled well. PEG was characterized with wheeze and anhelation in clinical manifestations, unelevated blood eosinophil counts and percentage, significant small airway abnormalities in lung function, diffuse pneumonectasis in Chest CT, and appearance of eosinophil cells in alveole. EGPA shows dyspnea and cough in clinical manifestations, as well as other organs function damaged, unelevated blood eosinophil counts and percentage, significant FEV1/FVC and small airway abnormalities in lung function, tree-in-bud in Chest CT, appearance of eosinophilic granuloma outside blood vessels. Löffler syndrome also showed cough, shorter course of disease, normal lung function and diffusion. ABPA showed wheeze and cough, 31.3% of them with hemoptysis, normal blood eosinophil count, central bronchiectasis in Chest CT. CEP also showed dyspnea and cough. 21.1% of CEP patientshad chest pain, increasing sputum eosinophil percentage compare with blood eosinophil percentage, and small airway abnormalities in lung function. Conclusions Most of PIE patients are diagnosed as asthma but haven’t gotten well controlled under the regular anti-asthmatic treatment. Patients with PIE have increasing eosinophil counts and decreasing lung function. The diagnosis of PIE still depends on clinical manifestation, laboratory test, imaging and pathological examination.
Objective To analyse the clinical characteristics of allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis (ABPA). Methods The clinical data of 26 patients diagnosed as ABPA from September 2016 to February 2018 in the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University were retrospectively analyzed. Results Among 26 patients with ABPA, 15 were female, 11 were male, with a mean age of (47.6±11.7) years. Before the diagnosis of ABPA, 13 cases had been misdiagnosed as bronchial asthma, 8 as bronchiectasis, 8 as pulmonary infection, 3 as tuberculosis. All patients had cough, sputum production, wheeze in 2, fever in 5, hemoptysis in 4, chest pain in 4, dyspnea in 2. The wheezing sound were heard in 20 patients and wet rales were heard in 4 cases. All patients had increased total IgE level ［median 5 000 (654 – 5 337)IU/ml］. The eosinophil counts were increased in 23 patients ［median 0.99 (0.50 – 3.69)×109/L］ and percentages of peripheral blood eosinophil were elevated to (0.36±0.10). Skin prink test was positive in 10 cases. All patients had increased Aspergillus fumigatus specific IgE ［median 15.1 (0.4 – 29.6)kU/L). Chest X-ray showed fleeting consolidation. Chest CT showed multiple pachy, central cylindrical bronchiectasis, mucous plugging, band linear or glover-finger opacities. Sixteen cases underwent bronchoscopy, out of them 5 cases underwent transbronchial lung biopsy, 2 cases underwent CT guided percutaneous lung biopsy. Fourteen cases were treated with oral corticosteroids combined with antifungal therapy. Conclusions ABPA is a relatively rare and without specific clinical manifestations. In the early period, it is mostly misdiagnosed as bronchial asthma, so it is necessary to improve the early diagosis of ABPA and give appropriate treatment. Regular follow-up should be made to prevent the recurrence.
Objective Allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis (ABPA) is characterized by anexaggerated reaction to airway colonization aspergillus which affects patients with underlying diseases such asbronchial asthma, cystic fibrosis or other respiratory diseases. ABPA exhibit significant heterogeneity due to theunderlying diseases. The clinical features of patients with ABPA were analyzed retrospectively, so as to explore theimpact of underlying diseases on clinical characteristics. Methods The clinical data of hospitalized patients diagnosed with ABPA from January 2010 to September 2019 in Peking University People's Hospital were reviewed for retrospective analysis. Results A total of 40 ABPA patients were enrolled. Of which 8 cases (20.0%) were previously diagnosed as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and/or bronchiectasis, named non-asthma group; while the other 32 cases met the diagnosis criteria of asthma, named asthma group. The non-asthma ABPA patients had a shorter course [78 (6 - 300) months vs. 192 (39 - 480) months, P=0.02], a higher percentage of peripheral blood neutrophils (79.9%±12.5% vs. 68.1%±18.1%, P=0.01) and higher score of emphysema [2 (0 - 2) vs. 0 (0 - 1), P=0.02] than the asthma group. Conclusions There is no significant difference in clinical and radiological characteristics between ABPA patients without asthma and those with asthma. The diagnosis of ABPA should also be considered when patients with chronic pulmonary diseases such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and bronchiectasis have aggravation of dyspnea, increase of eosinophils in peripheral blood and typical imaging features such as mucus attenuation.