Research indicates that antifungal therapy may relieve symptoms in patients with severe asthma and chronic sinusitis.
Antifungal therapy relieves symptoms in patients with severe asthma, chronic sinusitis, or both whose sputum tests positive for fungal cultures, new research shows.
The approach even worked in patients who weren’t particularly sensitive or allergic to fungi, said Evan Li, MD, a resident at the Baylor College of Medicine in Houston.
Previous studies of antifungal therapy in patients with asthma and chronic sinusitis have produced mixed results, Dr Li explained during a poster session at the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology 2016 Annual Meeting.
But the study by Dr Li and his colleagues differed from previous studies in a number of ways. They used a more reliable method of fungal culture, which allowed for the careful selection of patients. And patients were treated more aggressively. About two-thirds required more than one course of the 3-month treatment regimen to achieve improvement.
The retrospective analysis involved 134 patients treated at the Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center in Houston from 2012 to 2015. All had been referred to the allergy clinic because of uncontrolled asthma, and all provided sputum samples that were tested for fungi.
