Zafar Hussain Iqbal, Nadeem Anwar.
Allergic Bronchopulmonary Aspergillosis and Bronchial Asthma.
Biomedica Jan ;13(1):2-5.

Forty cases of Allergic Bronchopulmonary Aspergillosis (ABPA) were included in this study. Among these 90% were asthmatics and between 11-40 years of age. Chest Radiographic abnormalities included consolidation (67%) infiltrate (65%), bronchiectasis (23%) fibrosis / collapse (27%) involving all zones. In 92% cases these changes were fleeting in nature. On the basis of abnormal chest radiograph and suspicious symptoms 70% of cases were misdiagnosed and treated as Pulmonary Tuberculosis (P.T.B.) by general practitioners or previous physicians. On investigations we found that all 40 cases had raised (> 0.5 X 10e9 per liter) absolute eosinophil count in peripheral blood. Sputum eosinophilia was detected in 77% cases and fungal hyphae from sputum were isolated in 47% cases. Bronchoscopy and total serum IgE levels were also abnormal but performed in only 25% cases. Majority of the cases were treated with oral prednisolone 40 mg daily for 4-6 weeks showing remarkable clinical improvement which was confirmed by radiological clearance and fall in absolute eosinophil count. One fourth cases (25%) had relapse between 6-12 months. This study indicates that diagnosis of ABPA must be considered in asthmatic patients having un-explained, fleeting or persistent chest radiographic shadows.

PakMediNet -Pakistan's largest Database of Pakistani Medical Journals - http://www.pakmedinet.com