Severe asthma with fungal sensitization is associated with worse small airway dysfunction but similar symptom control

Severe asthma with fungal sensitization (SAFS) is an allergic immune-mediated disorder existing on the spectrum between nonsensitized asthma and allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis (ABPA).1 Fungal sensitization is associated with life-threatening acute asthma attacks requiring intensive care admissions and asthma-related deaths, and it has a higher prevalence in patients with severe asthma.2 Prospectively, it has been found that immunoglobulin (Ig)E sensitization to Aspergillus fumigatus is associated with worse lung function as forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1), greater total IgE levels, and a higher prevalence of A fumigatus in sputum culture compared with nonsensitized patients with asthma.
Source: Annals of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology - Category: Allergy & Immunology Authors: Tags: Letters Source Type: research