Les.......

[lesrains]

I now live my life with heart failure..Heart attacks,by-pass surgery..Lung problems.(smoking didn't help).(I'm an ex now for 20 years).But Last year I started to have a cough that never really went away.began to cough up blood..After many months of x-rays,antibiotics,steroids Etc a CT scan revealed that I had Chronic pulmonary Aspergillosis ??..Last year I suffered a real downturn in my health..Multiple bi-lateral pulmonary embolisms.I have now 'cavitated infarctions' (walnut sized holes) as an after effect...Aspergillosis sneaked it's way into the cavities left in my right lung, and my life....Now for the good news ..I'm taking 400mg of Voriconazole per day along side Alendronic acid tablets (one per week) ,Prednisolone and Natecal...My horrid cough left me quite quickly after starting my medication,and each week I'm slowly beginning to recover.But the steroids make me look so well (moon face),lol...... ...

[DrGraham]

Hi Les

Smoking will have caused the initial damage to your lungs that allowed the infection to begin - it may even be that you have had aspergillosis for some time before it came to light. We also think that some people have an immune system that is slightly different to most of us and it is slightly more vulnerable to fungal infection - or at least not getting rid of the infection quickly enough.

It sounds like your health is now being managed well and the antifungal medication should help minimise those steroid side-effects.