Characteristics and outcomes of chronic pulmonary
aspergillosis: a retrospective analysis of a tertiary
hospital registry
Boubou Camara
1,2
, Emilie Reymond
2,6
, Christel Saint-Raymond
1,2
, Hubert Roth
1,2,7,8
,
Marie-Pierre Brenier-Pinchart
2,3
, Claudine Pinel
2,3
, Jacques Cadranel
4,5
, Gilbert Ferretti
2,6
,
Hervé Pelloux
2,3
, Christophe Pison
1,2,8
and Grenoble Aspergillus Committee*
1 Clinique Universitaire de Pneumologie, CHU Grenoble, Grenoble, France
2 Université Joseph Fourier, Grenoble, France
3 Laboratoire de Parasitologie-Mycologie, CHU Grenoble, Grenoble, France
4 Service de Pneumologie et Réanimation, Hôpital Tenon, Paris, France
5 Faculté de Médecine Pierre-et-Marie-Curie, Université Paris VI, Paris, France
6 Clinique d’Imagerie Médicale, CHU Grenoble, Grenoble, France
7 CRNH Rhône-Alpes, Pierre-Bénite, France
8 Inserm1055, Grenoble, France
Abstract
Introduction: Our objective was to investigate characteristics risk factors and out-
comes of patients with chronic pulmonary aspergillosis (CPA).
Methods: The Aspergillosis Committee prospectively collected Aspergillus notifi-
cations from January 2000 to December 2011. A retrospective analysis of data was
performed.
Results: Among 1614 notifications registered, 44 cases of CPA in non-
immunocompromised patients were identified. The median age was 65 years
(Q1–Q3: 54–75), the median body mass index (BMI) was 20 kg/m
2
(Q1–Q3:
16–22) and 15 had chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. All patients had a
positive specific serum precipitin antibody titer. Radiological presentations were:
cavitations [single n = 31 (70%); multiple n = 12 (27%)] containing mycetomas
[n = 18 (41%)], consolidations [n = 19 (43%)], emphysema [n = 15 (34%)] and
sequelae of mycobacterial infection [n = 10 (23%)]. The median duration of
follow-up was 30 months (Q1–Q3: 14–55). The median duration of antifungal
treatment was 6 months (Q1–Q3: 3–12). Outcomes were unfavorable in 14
patients, and 12 (27%) died. Analysis by multivariate Cox regression model with
bootstrapping showed that a higher BMI and a lower Charlson index score were
predictive of favorable evolution, hazard ratio (95% confidence interval): BMI
(+1) = 0.83 (0.71–0.97), Charlson (+1) = 1.37 (1.01–1.85). When analyses were
restricted to chronic CPA and chronic necrotizing pulmonary aspergillosis, the
multivariate Cox regression model showed that both BMI and Charlson index score
were not statistically significant.
Conclusion: Our results provide data on clinical characteristics and outcomes of
CPA emphasizing the role of preexisting chronic respiratory conditions and pro-
tective effect of preserved BMI and lower Charlson index score.
Please cite this paper as: Camara B, Reymond E, Saint-Raymond C, Roth H,
Brenier-Pinchart M-P, Pinel C, Cadranel J, Ferretti G, Pelloux H, Pison C and
Grenoble Aspergillus Committee. Characteristics and outcomes of chronic pulmo-
nary aspergillosis: a retrospective analysis of a tertiary hospital registry. Clin Respir
J 2015; 9: 65–73.
Key words
Aspergillus – BMI – chronic pulmonary
aspergillosis – COPD
Correspondence
Boubou Camara, MD, Clinique Universitaire
de Pneumologie, Hôpital Albert Michallon,
CHU de Grenoble, CS10217, 38043 Grenoble
Cedex 9, France.
Tel: +33 4 76 76 58 46
Fax: +33 4 76 76 87 32
email: bcamara@chu-grenoble.fr
Received: 22 April 2013
Revision requested: 03 December 2013
Accepted: 04 January 2014
DOI:10.1111/crj.12105
*Aspergillus Commitee of Grenoble University
Hospital: B. Camara, S. Quetant, B. Lebeau,
A. Thiebaut-Bertrand, C. Saint-Raymond, D.
Maubon, A. Bosseray, R. Hamidfar, C. Pinel,
H. Pelloux, M. P. Brenier-Pinchart, M. R.
Mallaret, D. Plantaz, S. Goutier, M. Cornet, O.
Epaulard, E. Reymond and G. Ferretti.
Authorship and contributorship
Conception and design: B. Camara, H. Roth,
J. Cadranel and C. Pison; data collection for
the article: B. Camara, E. Reymond, C.
Saint-Raymond, M. P. Brenier-Pinchart, C.
Pinel, G. Ferretti, H. Pelloux and Grenoble
Aspergillus Committee; literature search: B.
Camara, H. Roth, M. P. Brenier-Pinchart and
C. Pison; analysis and interpretation of data:
B. Camara, E. Reymond, H. Roth, M. P.
Brenier-Pinchart, G. Ferretti and C. Pison;
The Clinical Respiratory Journal ORIGINAL ARTICLE
65 The Clinical Respiratory Journal (2015) • ISSN 1752-6981
© 2014 John Wiley & Sons Ltd