Association of airborne Aspergillus with asthma exacerbation in Southern Pakistan

نویسندگان

  • Ali Bin Sarwar Zubairi
  • Iqbal Azam
  • Safia Awan
  • Afia Zafar
  • Asif Ali Imam
چکیده

BACKGROUND Exposure to airborne fungi has been related with exacerbation of asthma in adults and children leading to increased outpatient, emergency room visits, and hospitalizations. Hypersensitivity to these airborne fungi may be an important initial predisposing factor in the development and exacerbation of asthma. OBJECTIVE This study was conducted to determine an association between fungal types and spore concentrations with the risk of asthma exacerbation in adults. METHODS This cross-sectional study was conducted from May 2008 to August 2009 at the Aga Khan University Hospital Karachi, Pakistan. All adult (age≥16 years) patients presenting to the hospital with acute asthma exacerbation were enrolled after informed consent. A home survey was conducted for each patient to assess their environmental characteristics. Indoor air samples were also obtained from the patient's home to determine the type and spore concentration of fungi within the week of their enrollment in the study. RESULTS Three hundred and ninety-one patients with an acute asthma exacerbation were enrolled during the study period. The mean age of participants was 46 years (standard deviation, ±18 years) and 247 (63.2%) were females. A trend of higher asthma enrollment associated with higher Aspergillus concentrations was found in two consecutive summers. A total of nineteen types of fungi were found in air samples. Aspergillus spp. was the most frequently isolated fungus with acute asthma exacerbation. CONCLUSION An association of higher concentration of indoor Aspergillus spp. with asthma exacerbation in adults was observed in this study.

برای دانلود متن کامل این مقاله و بیش از 32 میلیون مقاله دیگر ابتدا ثبت نام کنید

ثبت نام

اگر عضو سایت هستید لطفا وارد حساب کاربری خود شوید

منابع مشابه

Monitoring of Airborne Fungi in Two General Hospitals in Shiraz, Southern Iran

Hospitalized patients have a potential risk for nosocomial infections. Airborne fungi are one of the main causes of fungal infections in this group. The objective of this study was to investigate the concentrations and species of airborne fungi in two general hospitals in Shiraz, southern Iran. Air samples were collected from high-risk wards, using settle plate method. Fungal colonies were iden...

متن کامل

Spirometry Findings Following Treatment with Oral and Inhalant Corticosteroids in Mild to Moderate Asthma Exacerbation in Children

Introduction:  Asthma exacerbation is common in children. Treatment with oral corticosteroids (OCS) and inhaled corticosteroids are suggested for asthma exacerbation. It is shown that inhaled corticosteroids has similar outcome in reducing asthma symptoms compared to OCS. But few studies have evaluated the pulmonary function changes in these two treatments. In this study, we evaluated the chang...

متن کامل

Comparing Serum Procalcitonin Levels Between Patients with Acute Exacerbation of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease and Patients with Acute Exacerbation of Asthma

Background and purpose: Serum procalcitonin (PCT) indicates a bacterial infection that can reduce the administration of antibiotics. The aim of this study was to compare serum procalcitonin levels in patients with acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and asthma and its relationship with lung function and inflammatory factors. Materials and methods: In this cross-s...

متن کامل

Expression of the Apoptosis Inhibitor Bcl-2 in Sputum Eosinophils in Patients with Asthma

  Background and Objectives: Apoptosis of eosinophils is of significant value in assessing the airway inflammation in patients with asthma. Our purpose was to investigate the degree of expression of the Bcl-2 protein in sputum eosinophils during acute asthma exacerbation and its relationship with exacerbation severity.    Materials and Methods: The study was carried out in Mostafa Khomeini Ho...

متن کامل

The association between air pollution and weather conditions with increase in the number of admissions of asthmatic patients in emergency wards: a case study in Kermanshah

  Background: Industrialization and urbanization had a devastating impact on public health and caused an increase in health related morbidity and mortality. In fact, asthma is a chronic condition which is considered as one of the significant challenges of public health. In this study, we investigated the association of air pollution and weather conditions with excess emergency ward admissions o...

متن کامل

ذخیره در منابع من


  با ذخیره ی این منبع در منابع من، دسترسی به آن را برای استفاده های بعدی آسان تر کنید

برای دانلود متن کامل این مقاله و بیش از 32 میلیون مقاله دیگر ابتدا ثبت نام کنید

ثبت نام

اگر عضو سایت هستید لطفا وارد حساب کاربری خود شوید

عنوان ژورنال:

دوره 4  شماره 

صفحات  -

تاریخ انتشار 2014