Allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis (ABPA) is a condition characterised by an exaggerated response of the immune system (a hypersensitivity response) to the fungus Aspergillus (most commonly Aspergillus fumigatus). It occurs most often in people with asthma or cystic fibrosis. Aspergillus spores are ubiquitous in soil and are commonly found in the sputum of healthy individuals. A. fumigatus is responsible for a spectrum of lung diseases known as aspergilloses. ABPA causes airway inflammation, leading to bronchiectasis—a condition marked by abnormal dilation of the airways. Left untreated, the immune system and fungal spores can damage sensitive lung tissues and lead to scarring. The exact criteria for the diagnosis of ABPA are not agreed upon. Chest X-rays and CT scans, raised blood levels of IgE and eosinophils, immunological tests for Aspergillus together with sputum staining and sputum cultures can be useful. Treatment consists of corticosteroids and antifungal medications. Signs and symptoms
Almost all patients have clinically diagnosed asthma, and present with wheezing (usually episodic in nature), coughing, shortness of breath and exercise intolerance (especially in patients with cystic fibrosis). Moderate and severe cases have symptoms suggestive of bronchiectasis, in particular thick sputum production (often containing brown mucus plugs), as well as symptoms mirroring recurrent infection such as pleuritic chest pain and fever. Patients with asthma and symptoms of ongoing infection, who do not respond to antibiotic treatment, should be suspected of ABPA. Pathophysiology
Aspergillus spores are small (2–3 μm in diameter) and can penetrate deep into the respiratory system to the alveolar level.
Plasma cell leukemia (PCL) is a plasma cell dyscrasia, i.e. a disease involving the malignant degeneration of a subtype of white blood cells called plasma cells. It is the terminal stage and most aggressive form of these dyscrasias, constituting 2% to 4% of all cases of plasma cell malignancies. PCL may present as primary plasma cell leukemia, i.e. in patients without prior history of a plasma cell dyscrasia or as secondary plasma cell dyscrasia, i.e. in patients previously diagnosed with a history of its predecessor dyscrasia, multiple myeloma. The two forms of PCL appear to be at least partially distinct from each other. In all cases, however, PCL is an extremely serious, life-threatening, and therapeutically challenging disease. Signs and symptoms
Primary PCL
The clinical presentation of primary PCL (pPCL) indicates a far more aggressive disease than that of a typical multiple myeloma case with its clinical features being a combination of those found in multiple myeloma and acute leukemia. Like multiple myeloma patients, pPCL patients exhibit pathologically high levels of monoclonal plasma cells in their bone marrow plus a malignant plasma cell-secreted circulating monoclonal myeloma protein, either IgG, IgA, a light chain, or none in 28-56%, 4-7%, 23-44%, or 0-12% of cases, respectively. Similar to B cell leukemias, but unlike multiple myeloma, pPCL patients exhibit relative high frequencies of splenomegaly, lymphadenopathy, hepatomegaly, kidney failure, bone marrow failure (i.e.