Severe Asthma with Fungal Sensitization (SAFS) in Egyptian Patients Attending a Tertiary Care Clinic

Abstract

Asthma is defined as a heterogeneous disease, usually characterized by chronic airway inflammation. It is defined by the history of respiratory symptoms such as wheeze, shortness of breath, chest tightness and cough that vary over time and in intensity, together with variable expiratory airflow limitation (GINA, 2014). Fungi can be linked to severe asthma in a multitude of ways, including 1) inhalation of fungal spores; 2) fungal sensitization; and 3) allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis (ABPA), a severe degree of fungal sensitization culminating in irreversible bronchopulmonary damage. Many fungi have been associated with SAFS or allergic bronchopulmonary mycosis. Exposure to outdoor fungal spores has been associated with worsening asthma symptoms, poor lung function, hospital admissions, and asthma-related deaths in children as well as adults (Newson et al., 2000).