Fungal Infection May Turn Deadly In Lung Patients: AIIMS Study

New Delhi: Chronic pulmonary aspergillosis (CPA) -- a common fungal infection that claims 340,000 lives every year worldwide, can turn lethal for about 1 in three people with lung diseases, finds a study by researchers at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in the national capital.

CPA, caused by exposure to airborne spores of the mould Aspergillus, causes gradual scarring of the lungs for months and years.

It is a debilitating condition that causes severe tiredness, weight loss, breathlessness, and coughing up blood. While exposure to Aspergillus is harmless to most people, it may affect those with lung damage. The study, based on a major global review and published in the journal Lancet Infectious Diseases, showed that around 32 per cent of people who have had prior damage from lung diseases will die after five years if they also get infected by CPA.