New clinical guidelines are released today for medical staff treating chronic fungal lung infection.
These are the first such guidelines, written by experts at the European Respiratory Society and the European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases. They appear in today’s (23 December) European Respiratory Journal.
Chronic pulmonary aspergillosis is a long term aspergillus infection of the lung. Most patients have or have had an underlying lung disease. The condition has a five-year mortality rate of about 80% unless diagnosed and treated with long-term antifungals.
The early features of chronic pulmonary aspergillosis are often missed, so guideline author Professor David Denning of Manchester University, UK, hopes the guidelines will improve diagnosis rates.
He explains that there is currently no approved treatment for the condition, and diagnostic tests are not always reliable. "The NHS recognised the challenges posed by these patients by setting up the National Aspergillosis Centre and its associated laboratory the Mycology Reference Centre in 2009," said Professor Denning.
"The experience gained from seeing hundreds of patients has contributed to the quality of care, although much more research and new oral antifungal drugs are required to reduce the marked disability caused by chronic pulmonary aspergillosis."
Professor Murat Akova, President of the European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, commented: "I am delighted that this groundbreaking clinical guideline has been published; the management of chronic fungal infection, notably chronic pulmonary aspergillosis, is difficult, requiring a high level of laboratory and clinical expertise."
The guideline covers the main features of the disease and treatment recommendations. "By establishing this expert consensus on the topic, we aim to improve the early diagnosis of chronic pulmonary aspergillosis and increase recognition of the condition to ultimately improve outcomes for patients," the authors state.
Denning, D. W. et al. Chronic pulmonary aspergillosis: rationale and clinical guidelines for diagnosis and management. European Respiratory Journal 23 December 2015 doi: 10.1183/13993003.00583-2015
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