Three-Month Mortality in Nonhaematological Patients with Chronic Pulmonary Aspergillosis: Differences between...

Area of Science:

• Pulmonology
• Infectious Diseases
• Epidemiology

Background:

• Chronic pulmonary aspergillosis (CPA) is a progressive fungal lung infection with distinct subtypes.
• Understanding CPA epidemiology and subtype-specific mortality is crucial for patient management.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the epidemiology of CPA in a Spanish tertiary hospital setting.
• To assess the impact of different CPA subtypes on patient mortality.

Main Methods:

• A retrospective longitudinal study of pulmonary aspergillosis patients in three Spanish tertiary hospitals.
• Inclusion criteria followed Denning's criteria for CPA, excluding patients with hematological disorders.

Main Results:

• An incidence of 0.67 cases/100,000 inhabitants/year was estimated for CPA.
• Subacute invasive aspergillosis (SAIA) was the most frequent subtype (43.4%), followed by simple aspergilloma (32.9%).
• The three-month mortality rate was 23%, significantly higher in SAIA patients. Age > 65 and SAIA were independent predictors of mortality.

Conclusions:

• The estimated CPA incidence is lower than previously reported in other regions.
• CPA presents a high three-month mortality rate.
• Advanced age and the SAIA subtype are significant independent predictors of a poorer prognosis in CPA.