Interferon gamma replacement as salvage therapy in chronic pulmonary aspergillosis: effects on frequency of acute exacerbation and all-cause hospital admission.
Edward J M MonkChris HarrisRainer DöffingerGemma HayesDavid W DenningChris KosmidisPublished in: Thorax (2020)
Chronic pulmonary aspergillosis (CPA) is often poorly responsive to antifungal treatment; secondary infections increase morbidity/mortality, particularly in progressive cases. Interferon gamma (IFNγ) has been implicated in not only Aspergillus control but also bacterial clearance. Clinical notes of patients with CPA treated with IFNγ (2011-2018) were retrospectively hand-searched. In patients treated for >12 months (n=20), the frequency of acute exacerbation reduced from 3.1 to 1.4 episodes/year (p=0.006) in the 12 months after treatment initiation compared with the 12 months before. A significant reduction in the frequency of hospital admissions/year was also observed (0.8 to 0.3, p=0.04). These findings support further prospective studies.
Keyphrases
- dendritic cells
- respiratory failure
- liver failure
- chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
- drug induced
- pulmonary hypertension
- immune response
- aortic dissection
- emergency department
- healthcare
- multiple sclerosis
- extracorporeal membrane oxygenation
- risk factors
- cardiovascular events
- hepatitis b virus
- combination therapy
- stem cells
- cancer therapy
- intensive care unit
- coronary artery disease
- adverse drug
- replacement therapy
- newly diagnosed
- acute care
- smoking cessation