Conclusion
The pathogenesis of ABPA and AFRS is similar, and AFRS can be considered as the upper airway counterpart of ABPA. Fungi-induced upper and lower respiratory tract allergic diseases present common entity. Next studies should clarify the mechanism by which fungi turn from "normal flora" into trigger of immunological reactions, resulting in ABPA or AFRS as well as to find new approaches for its' diagnosis and treatment.
Results
Findings of this study were: (i) AFRS was confirmed in 80% of patients with ABPA; (ii) all ABPA+AFRS patients had allergic mucin while fungal hyphae were present in 60% sinonasal aspirate; (iii) ABPA+AFRS patients had more often complicated CRS with (nasal polyps) NP (p < 0.001) and more severe forms of CRS; (iv) culture of sinonasal aspirate revealed fungal presence in 97% patients with ABPA+AFRS; (v) patients with ABPA+AFRS had more common positive skin prick test (SPT) for A. fumigatus (p = 0.037), while patients without AFRS had more common positive SPT for Alternaria alternata and Penicillium notatum (p = 0.04 and p = 0.03, respectively); (vi) 67% of ABPA patients had Aspergillus induced AFRS; (vii) larger number of fungi was isolated from the air-samples obtained from homes of patients with ABPA+AFRS than from the homes of patients without AFRS, while the most predominant species were A. fumigatus and A. niger isolated from almost 50% of the air-samples.