Residual pulmonary abnormalities in adult patients with chronic paracoccidioidiomycosis : prolonged observations after itraconazole therapy

ABSTRACT: Itraconazole effectively controls active paracoccidioidomycosis but appears not to hinder lung fibrosis. Clinical records and chest radiographs from 47 itraconazole-treated patients with prolonged posttherapy follow-up (mean follow-up period, 5.6 years) were analyzed; the radiographs were interpreted following pneumoconiosis standards that consider the lungs as 6 fields and grade damage according to the number of fields involved. Infiltrative lesions were observed at diagnosis in 93.6% of the patients. Fibrosis was observed in 31.8% of the patients at diagnosis and had not cleared at the end of the observation period in any of these patients. Fibrosis also developed de novo in 11 patients (25%), so that by the end of the follow-up period it was seen in 53.2% of patients overall. Fibrosis correlated with severity of infiltrates at diagnosis: fibrosis was present in 83% of patients with very severe infiltration and in 12.5% of patients with minor infiltration. Among patients with severe infiltration, fibrosis was present in 30%; this increased (to 75%) when bullae were concomitantly present at diagnosis. Prompt initiation of treatment is necessary to avoid the development of fibrosis.

• Autores: Tobón Orozco, Ángela María; Arango Arteaga, Myrtha; Restrepo Moreno, Ángela; Cano Restrepo, Luz Elena; Álvarez, Diego Luis; Osorio, Marta Lucía; Agudelo Restrepo, Carlos Andrés
• Tipo de recurso: Article of investigation
• Fecha de publicación: 2003
• Institución: Universidad de Antioquia
• Repositorio: Repositorio UdeA
• Idioma: eng
• OAI Identifier: oai:bibliotecadigital.udea.edu.co:10495/24086
• Acceso en línea: http://hdl.handle.net/10495/24086
• Palabra clave: Pulmón; Lung; Fibrosis Pulmonar; Pulmonary Fibrosis; Itraconazol; Itraconazole; Paracoccidioidomicosis; Paracoccidioidomycosis; Neumoconiosis; Pneumoconiosis; Radiografía Torácica; Radiography, Thoracic
• Rights: openAccess
• License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.5/co/