Five-year follow-up of allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis.

SUMMARY _ A retrospective study of 50 patients with allergic, bronchopulmonary aspergillosis observed during a period of 5 years showed that the untreated patients had a chronic course characterized by airway obstruction and recurrent pulmonary consolidations with eosinophilia and, in many cases, severe lung destruction. In other patients, the episodes recurred for many years without producing gross functional deterioration. Although a correlation existed between radiographic evidence of pulmo­ nary consolidations and clinical symptoms of airway obstruction, symptoms were not a good guide to the presence of pulmonary consolidations. 'Thus it appeared that pulmonary eosinophilia could recur and resolve without being recognized clinically, yet could cause chronic lung damage. Treat­ ment with disodium cromoglycatc ameliorated the asthmatic symptoms, but it and a variety of antifungal agents did not prevent recurrent episodes of pulmonary infiltration. Prednisone in doses greater than 7.5 mg per day reduced the number of episodes of recurrent consolidation.