[Invasive aspergillosis: clinical manifestations and treatment]

Rev Iberoam Micol. 2003 Sep;20(3):79-89.
[Article in Spanish]

Abstract

During the last decade the incidence of invasive aspergillosis has substantially grown due to the increasing use of powerful immunosupressive drugs in more patients. Unfortunately, the associated mortality with this infection is still very high and has not decreased in recent years. Pulmonary aspergillosis is by far the most frequent clinical picture of this infection, followed by sinus, tracheo-bronchial and central nervous system disease. The degree of immunosupression is the main factor influencing the evolution and dissemination of aspergillosis. Conventional amphotericin B has been the first-line therapy of invasive aspergillosis for the last 30 years, and most authors have long considered amphotericin B related toxicity as one of the main causes for the poor results obtained in the outcome of patients who developed this infection. Fortunately, in the last few years new safer and more effective drugs have been developed for the treatment of this entity. However, if we are really trying to substantially decrease invasive aspergillosis associated-mortality we should use these drugs earlier in the development of the infection, using new more sensitive diagnostic tests and/or a riskbase strategy which could identify patients at the highest risk to develop this infection.

Publication types

  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Amphotericin B / administration & dosage
  • Amphotericin B / therapeutic use
  • Antifungal Agents / therapeutic use*
  • Aspergillosis / diagnosis*
  • Aspergillosis / drug therapy*
  • Aspergillosis / etiology
  • Aspergillosis, Allergic Bronchopulmonary / diagnosis
  • Aspergillosis, Allergic Bronchopulmonary / drug therapy
  • Caspofungin
  • Dermatomycoses / diagnosis
  • Dermatomycoses / drug therapy
  • Dermatomycoses / microbiology
  • Drug Therapy, Combination
  • Echinocandins
  • Humans
  • Immunocompromised Host
  • Immunologic Factors / therapeutic use
  • Itraconazole / therapeutic use
  • Lipopeptides
  • Neuroaspergillosis / diagnosis
  • Neuroaspergillosis / drug therapy
  • Neutropenia / complications
  • Peptides / therapeutic use
  • Peptides, Cyclic*
  • Pyrimidines / therapeutic use
  • Respiratory Tract Infections / diagnosis
  • Respiratory Tract Infections / drug therapy
  • Respiratory Tract Infections / microbiology
  • Triazoles / therapeutic use
  • Voriconazole

Substances

  • Antifungal Agents
  • Echinocandins
  • Immunologic Factors
  • Lipopeptides
  • Peptides
  • Peptides, Cyclic
  • Pyrimidines
  • Triazoles
  • Itraconazole
  • posaconazole
  • Amphotericin B
  • Caspofungin
  • Voriconazole