Allergic fungal sinusitis: experience in an ambulatory allergy practice.
BACKGROUND
Allergic fungal sinusitis has been described since 1983 but has been a diagnostic problem due to the lack of agreed upon criteria that should be met for diagnosis: such criteria have recently been proposed by deShazo and Swain.


OBJECTIVE
The findings in ten patients previously diagnosed as having allergic fungal sinusitis were reviewed and compared with the recently proposed criteria.


METHODS
A detailed review of each of these ten previously diagnosed cases was undertaken in order to compare their findings with these newly proposed criteria.


RESULTS
The newly proposed criteria were found to be highly valid standards for the diagnosis of allergic fungal sinusitis; no significant discrepancies were found.


CONCLUSIONS
The criteria proposed by deShazo and Swain for the diagnosis of allergic fungal sinusitis should be widely adopted. Utilizing these criteria, a broadly based study of the true prevalence of this disease should be undertaken.
Schwartz
H J
HJ
University Suburban Health Center, South Euclid, OH 44121, USA.
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000946:Antigens, Fungal / Q000032:analysis; D001229:Aspergillosis, Allergic Bronchopulmonary / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis*; D002469:Cell Separation; D004804:Eosinophils / Q000166:cytology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007073:Immunoglobulin E / Q000032:analysis; D007074:Immunoglobulin G / Q000032:analysis; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009093:Mucus / Q000166:cytology; D009297:Nasal Mucosa / Q000382:microbiology; D010950:Plasma Cells / Q000166:cytology; D012852:Sinusitis / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000276:immunology / Q000382:microbiology*
D000946:Antigens, Fungal; D007074:Immunoglobulin G; D007073:Immunoglobulin E