Allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis mimicking pulmonary Tuberculosis

Abstract

Allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis is an uncommon disease in which cystic bronchiectasis is a common feature. The presence of central bronchiectasis with constitutional symptoms of cough, fever, weight loss, and pulmonary infiltration in patients with allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis has been misdiagnosed as cavitating pulmonary tuberculosis. Herein, we report 2 cases of allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis that were misdiagnosed as pulmonary tuberculosis and treated with antituberculous therapy. They all have negative sputum and bronchoalveolar lavage for acid-fast bacillus as well as their tuberculin tests. The diagnosis of pulmonary tuberculosis was based on the presence of symptoms and radiological changes. In both cases the presence of long standing asthma, high peripheral eosinophilic counts and wide spread of central bronchiectasis besides the poor response of antituberculous therapy has drawn our attention towards the diagnosis of allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis. This was confirmed by the presence of high immunoglobulin E level, positive skin prick test and positive specific serum immunoglobulin E to aspergillus fumigatus. Therefore, a high index of clinical suspicion with appropriate laboratory tests is required to identify such cases.