Allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis

Allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis (ABPA) is a condition characterised by an exaggerated response of the immune system (a hypersensitivity response) to the fungus Aspergillus (most commonly Aspergillus fumigatus). It occurs most often in people with asthma or cystic fibrosis. ABPA causes airway inflammation, leading to bronchiectasis—a condition marked by abnormal dilation of the airways. Left untreated, the immune system and fungal spores can damage sensitive lung tissues and lead to scarring. The exact criteria for the diagnosis of ABPA are not agreed upon. Chest X rays and CT scans, raised blood levels of IgE and eosinophils, immunological tests for Aspergillus together with sputum staining and sputum cultures can be useful. Treatment consists of corticosteroids and antifungal medications.

Almost all patients have clinically diagnosed asthma, Moderate and severe cases have symptoms suggestive of bronchiectasis, in particular thick sputum production (often containing brown mucus plugs), as well as symptoms mirroring recurrent infection such as pleuritic chest pain and fever. Patients with asthma and symptoms of ongoing infection, who do not respond to antibiotic treatment, should be suspected of ABPA. In healthy people, innate and adaptive immune responses are triggered by various immune cells (notably neutrophils, resident alveolar macrophages and dendritic cells) drawn to the site of infection by numerous inflammatory cytokines and neutrophilic attractants (such as CXCR2 receptor ligands). In this situation, mucociliary clearance is initiated and spores are successfully phagocytosed, clearing the infection from the host. In people with predisposing lung diseases—such as persistent asthma or cystic fibrosis (or rarer diseases such as chronic granulomatous disease or Hyper IgE syndrome)—several factors lead to an increased risk of ABPA. as well as genetic factors (such as CFTR gene mutations in both asthmatics and cystic fibrosis patients and a ZNF77 mutation resulting in a premature stop codon in asthmatics and ABPA patients). By allowing Aspergillus spores to persist in pulmonary tissues, it permits successful germination which leads to hyphae growing in mucus plugs. There are hypersensitivity responses, both a type I response (atopic, with formation of immunoglobulin E, or IgE) and a type III hypersensitivity response (with formation of immunoglobulin G, or IgG). The reaction of IgE with Aspergillus antigens results in mast cell degranulation with bronchoconstriction and increased capillary permeability. Immune complexes (a type III reaction) and inflammatory cells are deposited within the mucous membranes of the airways, leading to necrosis (tissue death) and eosinophilic infiltration. Aspergillus also uses a number of factors to continue evading host responses, notably the use of proteolytic enzymes that interrupt IgG antibodies aimed towards it. Another important feature is its ability to interact and integrate with epithelial surfaces, which results in massive pro inflammatory counter response by the immune system involving IL 6, IL 8 and MCP 1 (a CCL2 receptor ligand). Proteases released by both the fungus and neutrophils induce further injury to the respiratory epithelium, leading to initiation of repair mechanisms (such as an influx of serum and extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins) at the site of infection. Aspergillus spores and hyphae can interact with ECM proteins, and it is hypothesised that this process facilitates the binding of spores to damaged respiratory sites. As concentrations of Aspergillus proteases increase, the immunological effect switches from pro inflammatory to inhibitory, and further reduces phagocytic ability to clear Aspergillus. Ultimately, repeated acute episodes lead to wider scale damage of pulmonary structures (parenchyma) and function via irreversible lung remodelling. Left untreated, this manifests as progressive bronchiectasis and pulmonary fibrosis that is often seen in the upper lobes, and can give rise to a similar radiological appearance to that produced by tuberculosis.

The exact criteria for the diagnosis of ABPA are not yet universally agreed upon, though working groups have proposed specific guidelines. Minimal criteria include five factors: the presence of asthma and/or cystic fibrosis, a positive skin test to Aspergillus sp., total serum IgE > 416 IU/mL (or kU/L), an increased Aspergillus species–specific IgE and IgG antibodies, and the presence of infiltrates on a chest X ray. ABPA should be suspected in patients with a predisposing lung disease—most commonly asthma or cystic fibrosis— and is often associated with chronic airway limitation (CAL). Patients generally present with symptoms of recurrent infection such as fever, but do not respond to conventional antibiotic therapy. Poorly controlled asthma is a common finding, with a case series only finding 19% of ABPA patients with well controlled asthma. Wheezing and hemoptysis (coughing up blood) are common features, and mucus plugging is seen in 31–69% of patients. The test should be performed first by skin prick testing, and if negative followed with an intradermal injection. The overall sensitivity of the procedure is around 90%, though up to 40% of asthmatic patients without ABPA can still show some sensitivity to Aspergillus antigens (a phenomenon likely linked to a less severe form of ABPA termed severe asthma with fungal sensitization (SAFS)). Until recently, peripheral eosinophilia (high eosinophil counts) was considered partly indicative of ABPA. More recent studies show that only 40% of people with ABPA present with eosinophilia, and hence a low eosinophil count does not necessarily exclude ABPA; for example patients undergoing steroid therapy have lower eosinophil counts. When using high resolution CT scans, there can be a better assessment of the distribution and pattern of bronchiectasis within the lungs, and hence this is the tool of choice in the radiological diagnosis of ABPA. Central (confined to medial two thirds of the medial half of the lung) bronchiectasis that peripherally tapers bronchi is considered a requirement for ABPA pathophysiology, though in up to 43% of cases there is a considerable extension to the periphery of the lung.) in up to 20% of patients. Where present it is a strong diagnostic factor of ABPA and distinguishes symptoms from other causes of bronchiectasis. Hypersensitivity mechanisms, as described above, contribute to progression of the disease over time and, when left untreated, result in extensive fibrosis of lung tissue. To reduce this, corticosteroid therapy is the mainstay of treatment (for example with prednisone); however, studies involving corticosteroids in ABPA are limited by small cohorts and are often not double blinded. Despite this, there is evidence that acute onset ABPA is improved by corticosteroid treatment as it reduces episodes of consolidation. There are challenges involved in long term therapy with corticosteroids—which can induce severe immune dysfunction when used chronically, as well as metabolic disorders—and approaches have been developed to manage ABPA alongside potential adverse effects from corticosteroids. The most commonly described technique, known as sparing, involves using an antifungal agent to clear spores from airways adjacent to corticosteroid therapy. The antifungal aspect aims to reduce fungal causes of bronchial inflammation, while also minimising the dose of corticosteroid required to reduce the immune system's input to disease progression. The strongest evidence (double blinded, randomized, placebo controlled trials) is for itraconazole twice daily for four months, which resulted in significant clinical improvement compared to placebo, and was mirrored in CF patients. Using itraconazole appears to outweigh the risk from long term and high dose prednisone. Newer triazole drugs—such as posaconazole or voriconazole—have not yet been studied in depth through clinical trials in this context. and 1–17.7% in CF. Five national cohorts, detecting ABPA prevalence in asthma (based on GINA estimates), were used in a recent meta analysis to produce an estimate of the global burden of ABPA complicating asthma. From 193 million people with asthma worldwide, ABPA prevalence in asthma is estimated to be between 1.35 and 6.77 million people, using 0.7–3.5% attrition rates. A compromise at 2.5% attrition has also been proposed, placing global burden at around 4.8 million people affected. The Eastern Mediterranean region had the lowest estimated prevalence, with a predicted case burden of 351,000; collectively, the Americas had the highest predicted burden at 1,461,000 cases. These are likely underestimates of total prevalence, given the exclusion of CF patients and children from the study, as well as diagnostic testing being limited in less developed regions.