Pulmonary aspergilloma after previous COVID-19: a case report and a literature review

Abstract

Pulmonary aspergillosis has always been considered as a disease that occurs in patients with certain risk factors for its development. The COVID-19 pandemic has shown that fungal complications are common in patients without aspergillosis risk factors. Thus, invasive aspergillosis is a common complication of COVID-19. There are rare reports of aspergilloma that developed after a severe coronavirus infection in individuals who did not previously have cavitary lesions in the lungs. Development of aspergilloma as an expected long-term complication after COVID-19 may be due to damage of lung structure caused by coronavirus infection, oxygen therapy and mechanical ventilation. This article describes a case report of aspergilloma in a patient with confirmed severe COVID-19 and background chronic diseases without risk factors for fungal infection. A review of publications on the development of aspergilloma in patients following COVID-19 is also presented.