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Ankylosing spondylitis with mycetoma case treated with oral itraconazole

Taha Bekci1, Recep Kesli, Recep Kelsi

  • 1Department of Pulmonary Medicine, Konya Education and Research Hospital, Meram Yeniyol, Meram, 42100, Konya, Turkey. tahabekci@yahoo.com

Rheumatology International
|August 21, 2009
PubMed

Insights

Ankylosing spondylitis (AS) rarely causes lung cavities. This study reports a rare case of AS with aspergilloma, successfully treated with itraconazole, highlighting a unique pleuropulmonary manifestation.

Area of Science:

  • Rheumatology
  • Pulmonology
  • Infectious Diseases

Background:

  • Ankylosing spondylitis (AS) is a chronic inflammatory disease primarily affecting the axial skeleton.
  • Pleuropulmonary complications in AS are infrequent, typically manifesting as apical fibrosis, interstitial infiltrates, or pleural thickening.

Observation:

  • This report details a rare case of ankylosing spondylitis presenting with a pulmonary cavity.
  • The patient was diagnosed with aspergilloma, a fungal infection caused by Aspergillus species, within the lung cavity.

Findings:

  • The presence of a cavitary lesion in the context of ankylosing spondylitis is exceptionally uncommon.
  • Successful treatment of the aspergilloma was achieved using the antifungal medication itraconazole.

Implications:

  • This case expands the spectrum of known pleuropulmonary manifestations of ankylosing spondylitis.
  • It underscores the importance of considering fungal infections like aspergilloma in AS patients with cavitary lung disease and highlights itraconazole as an effective treatment option.

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