Objective: To describe the clinical features and diagnosis of allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis (ABPA).
Methods: Three cases of ABPA from this hospital were presented. Chinese Biomedical Disk (CBM-Disk) was searched to identify Chinese ABPA cases from 1991 to 2008, and a retrospective analysis of all the cases was made.
Results: Fifty-seven cases of ABPA were collected, including 33 male and 24 female patients, with a mean age of (41 +/- 15) yrs. The main clinical manifestations included cough (n = 51), expectoration (n = 50), wheeze (n = 47), dyspnea (n = 44), fever (n = 33), hemoptysis (n = 28), sputum plugs (n = 18), chest pain (n = 13) and weight loss (n = 8). Forced expired volume in one second (FEV1) was (64 +/- 25)% predicted, and FEV1/forced vital capacity (FVC) was (63 +/- 11)%. Chest CT was performed in 33 cases. Patchy infiltration was present in 32, central bronchiectasis in 25, mucoid impaction (glover-finger/band linear opacities) in 12, nodular opacities in 11, consolidation in 8 and mediastinal adenopathy in 13 cases, while 24 cases presented fleeting infiltrations.
Conclusion: ABPA is a rare disease. Measurement of total IgE, A. fumigatus-specific IgE, and immediate cutaneous reaction to A. fumigatus are help for confirmation of the diagnosis.