An international research team led by Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore) has found that patients with the lung disease bronchiectasis also often display sensitivity to airborne allergens, and has highlighted the particular role that fungi appear to play.
An international research team led by Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore) has found that patients with the lung disease bronchiectasis also often display sensitivity to airborne allergens, and has highlighted the particular role that fungi appear to play.
Their discovery suggests that doctors should examine bronchiectasis patients for a range of allergies, since the treatment for allergies already exists and controlling them could prevent the bronchiectasis from worsening.
Bronchiectasis is a chronic disease in which parts of the airways have enlarged, due to irreversible damage to the lungs. Patients find it hard to cough out phlegm and are more prone to bacterial, viral or fungal infection. These complications can be fatal if left untreated, and the disease itself has no effective cure.
Led by Assistant Professor Sanjay Haresh Chotirmall from the Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine (LKCMedicine) at NTU, the team included researchers from Tan Tock Seng Hospital, Singapore General Hospital, Changi General Hospital, National University of Singapore, Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), National University of Malaysia, and the University of Dundee in Scotland. Their findings were published in the peer-reviewed medical journal American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine on 1 April 2019.
Read more at Nanyang Technological University
Image: A study led by Assistant Professor Sanjay Haresh Chotirmall from the Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine at NTU Singapore found that patients with the lung disease bronchiectasis often display sensitivity to airborne allergens, including fungi. (Credit: NTU Singapore)
