Allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis: an unusual complication of bronchial asthma.

Asthma is a common medical problem in Pakistan. Allergic Bronchopulmonary Aspergillosis (ABPA), an immune mediated disease, is an unusual complication of bronchial asthma which can result in bronchiectasis, pulmonary fibrosis, respiratory failure and death. Early diagnosis is important so that with proper therapy permanent lung damage can be prevented. First described in 1952, ABPA was thought to be a rare disorder, but with increased awareness amongst the physicians and better diagnostic techniques, äases are being recognized more frequently. The clinical features of ABPA (cough, fever, hemoptysis and lung infiltrates) are usually mistaken for pulmonary tuberculosis (TB). We present three cases in which failure to consider the diagnosis of ABPA resulted in repeated courses of anti-TB therapy and/or progressive lung damage and continued morbidity.