Everyone Healthy Library
Aspergillosis
Condition / disease reference page from the Everyone Healthy database.
! Seek urgent medical care if warning signs appear
Some health conditions or symptoms can become urgent. Use this page for education, but seek help quickly if warning signs are present.
Get urgent medical care now if there is any severe, sudden, rapidly worsening or worrying symptom, especially:
- chest pain, pressure or pain spreading to the arm, jaw or back
- trouble breathing, blue lips, severe wheeze or choking
- stroke-like symptoms such as face drooping, arm weakness or speech trouble
- collapse, fainting, seizure, confusion or extreme drowsiness
- severe bleeding, black stools, vomiting blood or major injury
- severe allergic reaction, swelling of the face/throat or widespread rash with breathing trouble
- severe abdominal pain, severe headache, stiff neck or sudden vision change
- signs of severe dehydration, sepsis, high fever with worsening illness, or symptoms in a baby/young child that concern you
Connected health information
Explore this condition in a clear order
Condition overview
Attributes
Commonalityis rare
Linked signs and symptoms
7Each sign/symptom opens its own page and links back to related conditions.
Linked drugs / medications
3Medication information is educational only. A doctor or pharmacist should advise whether any medicine is appropriate.
Treatments, therapies and supportive options
1Grouped by treatment type. These are educational database links, not personal treatment recommendations. Evidence labels are shown only where stored in the EH database.
Linked diagnostic tests and investigations
11These are pulled from both EH diagnostic-test link tables, including the older large test-link table.
Biological markers/agents
1This visual map shows biological markers/agents reported as increased or decreased with this condition. These are educational relationships only; test results must be interpreted by a qualified clinician because ranges vary by lab, method, age, sex and clinical context.
Often increased
1Often decreased
0No markers in this group.
Introduction / full article
Aspergillosis
Aspergillosis
Aspergillosis is a term referring to several types of infection by fungi of the genus Aspergillus.
Aspergillus spores are ubiquitous in the natural environment, and most people will be exposed to the fungi daily. Aspergillosis tends to occur in individuals whose immune systems are already compromised by a pre-existing disease.
Aspergillosis is primarily caused by inhalation of the Aspergillus spores, and can take several forms.
Pulmonary aspergillosis occurs when the spores invade and cause infection the airways of the lungs. A ball (aspergilloma) composed of tangled fungus, blood clots and cells gradually develops and grows, causing considerable damage to the lung as it does so. This can also occur within the sinuses or the ear canals.
Invasive aspergillosis involves the Aspergillus spores passing through the lungs into the bloodstream. Within the blood, it is transported to all of the organs, and can lead to organ failure.
In allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis, the fungi colonize the airways of patients with pre-existing respiratory illnesses, such as asthma or cystic fibrosis. The patients develop a serious allergy, characterised by coughing, wheezing and fever.