PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Ana Silva
AU  - Rui Tomé
AU  - Maria Alcide Marques
TI  - Pulmonary fungal infection in immunocompetent vs immunocompromised patients - a retrospective study
DP  - 2014 Sep 01
TA  - European Respiratory Journal
PG  - P2510
VI  - 44
IP  - Suppl 58
4099  - http://erj.ersjournals.com/content/44/Suppl_58/P2510.short
4100  - http://erj.ersjournals.com/content/44/Suppl_58/P2510.full
SO  - Eur Respir J2014 Sep 01; 44
AB  - Introduction: Fungal infection is a rare condition in immunocompetent individuals and it is associated with high rates of morbimortality. Aims and objectives: To determine the prevalence of pulmonary infections in immunocompetent (ICT) and immunocompromised (ICP) patients with a purpose of identifying risk factors and compare parameters that allow a better characterization of these patients. Methods: A retrospective study of all patients diagnosed with pulmonary fungal infections, during the year 2012, at Coimbra University Hospital. The following data was assessed: Epidemiology, laboratory and radiological features, microbiology, treatment and risk factors. Results: The medical sample consisted of 62 patients, 30 ICT and 32 ICP. There was a female predominance (62.5%) in the first group and male (73%) in the latter. The average age ranged between 65.97±16 years in ICT and 61.5±15 in ICP. We observed a high frequency of Aspergillus fumigatus in both groups. The presence of other non-fungal infectious agents affected 22% ICT and 33% ICP. Regarding the radiological findings, the majority of patients showed bilateral parenchymal infiltrates. The main diagnoses in ICP were hematologic malignancies (27%), while structural abnormalities (bronchiectasis) and COPD were observed in ICT patients in 13% of cases each. In most patients the choice was monotherapy. Conclusions: There is similar prevalence of this type of infection in immunocompetent patients; non fungal infectious agents are invariably present in this fungal infection in both groups; of the patients with lung pathology, the most affected had COPD or bronchiectasis.