Uncontrolled asthma and aspergillosis. MCSC patient history
NewsPatient Z., 76 years old, applied to the Pulmonology department of MCSC. She was worried about:
- frequent exacerbations of bronchial asthma (3-4 times a year)
- shortness of breath with minimal physical exertion (walking up to 10-15 meters)
- wheezing in the chest
- cough with viscous sputum
- frequent need for emergency inhalers (8-10 times a day)
In 2013, doctors diagnosed bronchial asthma and recommended daily inhalation of hormones, as well as taking medications that dilate the bronchi.
- The patient strictly followed the recommendations, but since 2022, other asthma exacerbations began, after which she turned to our specialists.
The survey results showed:
- reduced blood oxygen saturation – 90-92% (normally 95% and above)
- multiple wet and whistling wheezes, which indicated a large amount of sputum in the lungs
Doctors prescribed therapy to dilate the bronchi, improve sputum discharge and relieve inflammation.
- After a few days, the dry wheezing passed, but the wet wheezing in large numbers still persisted.
- Then the patient underwent bronchoscopy and sputum was taken for analysis.
As a result, a fungal infection of the lungs (aspergillosis) was detected, which was confirmed after microbiological examination of sputum and bronchial flushing: mold fungus (Aspergillus).
Then the doctors added a specific antifungal drug to the treatment, after which the patient began to feel much better:
- the oxygen level in the blood returned to normal
- The wheezing in the lungs disappeared
- shortness of breath decreased
In addition, now she no longer needs to use an ambulance inhaler.
Today, fungal infections are increasingly detected in patients, which lead to severe exacerbations. This is often due to a lack of control over bronchial asthma.
And the most common causes of uncontrolled bronchial asthma are:
- lack of basic therapy, including. insufficient dosage of inhalation hormone (the main drug for the treatment of bronchial asthma)
- frequent contact with allergens
- bacterial or viral infection
The history of our patient shows that patients who suffer from severe and uncontrolled bronchial asthma need a complete and comprehensive examination in a multidisciplinary medical center to establish an accurate diagnosis and causes of the disease.
