About one in three people with lung diseases may die from chronic pulmonary aspergillosis (CPA), a common fungal infection that kills 340,000 people annually worldwide, according to a study conducted by researchers at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in the nation's capital.

CPA, which is brought on by exposure to Aspergillus mold spores in the air, gradually damages the lungs over the course of months to years.

It is a debilitating condition that causes severe tiredness, weight loss, breathlessness, and coughing up blood. While exposure to Aspergillus is harmless to most people, it may affect those with lung damage.

The study, based on a major global review and published in the journal Lancet Infectious Diseases, showed that around 32 per cent of people who have had prior damage from lung diseases will die after five years if they also get infected by CPA.

In the first year after developing other lung conditions, approximately 15% of patients with CPA will pass away.

Researchers Dr. Abinhav Sengupta and Dr. Animesh Ray of AIIMS Delhi looked at the mortality rates of 8,778 patients from every continent—aside from Antarctica—who were reported in the literature.


CPA patients with a history of tuberculosis (TB) had a lower overall 5-year mortality rate of 25%, according to an international study that included researchers from the University of Manchester.

They did discover, though, that individuals with CPA are frequently misdiagnosed as having TB and are subsequently denied antifungal medication.

According to the researchers, the key to symptom improvement and lowering the risk of death is antifungal medication or surgery.