There remains lack of agreement on diagnostic criteria and approaches to treatment of patients with Allergic Bronchopulmonary Aspergillosis (ABPA). The results of a survey of AAAAI members regarding these 2 issues are presented and compared for concordance with published recommendations. The literature was reviewed for pertinent reports and an electronic survey was conducted of AAAAI members and fellows regarding diagnostic criteria, numbers of patients evaluated for ABPA, and treatment approaches. From 508 respondents to the survey sent to 5155 U. S. physicians in the AAAAI database of members and fellows, 245 (48%) health professionals had treated at least 1 patient with ABPA in the previous year. For the diagnosis of ABPA, there was a difference in the threshold concentration of total serum IgE as 44.9% used ≥ 417 kU/L whereas 42.0% used ≥ 1000 kU/L. These findings suggest that ABPA might be underdiagnosed. Regarding pharmacotherapy, oral steroids were recommended for 97.1% of patients and oral steroids + inhaled corticosteroids + anti-fungal agent were utilized in 41.2% of patients. The armamentarium for treatment of ABPA includes oral corticosteroids as the initial treatment with inhaled corticosteroids used for management of persistent asthma. Azoles remain adjunctive. Published experience with omalizumab has been limited. Publisher's Disclaimer: This is a PDF file of an unedited manuscript that has been accepted for publication. As a service to our customers we are providing this early version of the manuscript. The manuscript will undergo copyediting, typesetting, and review of the resulting proof before it is published in its final citable form. Please note that during the production process errors may be discovered which could affect the content, and all legal disclaimers that apply to the journal pertain. The global prevalence of Allergic Bronchopulmonary Aspergillosis (ABPA) has been estimated to be as high as 2.5% 1 , yet delays in diagnosis or undertreatment may lead to pulmonary fibrosis, bronchiectasis with chronic sputum production, and increasingly severe persistent asthma with loss of lung function. There are differences of opinion over the criteria for diagnosis, screening tests in patients with asthma, and how best to manage and treat the patient. 2 ABPA is almost always caused by Aspergillus fumigatus, which has intrinsic virulence, survival characteristics, pro-inflammatory actions, and enzymatic properties in susceptible hosts. The purpose of this review is to consider fungi implicated in Allergic Bronchopulmonary Mycoses, a brief discussion of the immunopathology, approaches to management and treatment, and report findings from a survey of allergistimmunologists in the AAAAI that explored the diagnostic criteria and treatments of ABPA.
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Allergic Bronchopulmonary MycosisSince
Criteria for Diagnosis of Allergic Bronchopulmonary AspergillosisIn a 2012 review in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, the criteria for diagnosis were presented as follows: "Th...
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