Friday, February, 10, 2012

Aspergillosis

Table of Contents

Symptoms

Symptoms depend on the type of infection.

Symptoms of allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis may include:

  • Cough
  • Coughing up blood or brownish mucus plugs
  • Fever
  • General ill feeling (malaise)
  • Wheezing
  • Weight loss

Other symptoms depend on the part of the body affected, and may include:

  • Blood in the urine
  • Bone pain
  • Chest pain
  • Chills
  • Decreased urine output
  • Headaches
  • Increased phlegm production, which may be bloody
  • Shortness of breath
  • Skin sores (lesions)
  • Vision problems

Signs and tests

Tests to diagnose Aspergillus infection include:

  • Aspergillus antibody test
  • Chest x-ray
  • Complete blood count
  • CT scan
  • Galactomannan (a molecule from the fungus that is sometimes found in the blood)
  • Immunoglobulin E (IgE) blood level
  • Lung function tests
  • Sputum stain and culture for Aspergillus
  • Tissue biopsy


Review Date: 06/09/2011
Reviewed By: David C. Dugdale, III, MD, Professor of Medicine, Division of General Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Washington School of Medicine; Jatin M. Vyas, MD, PhD, Instructor in Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Assistant in Medicine, Division of Infectious Disease, Massachusetts General Hospital. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.

A.D.A.M., Inc. is accredited by URAC, also known as the American Accreditation HealthCare Commission (www.urac.org)