Structural lung disease following allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis complicating pediatric cystic fibrosis

Background Allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis (ABPA) complicating cystic fibrosis (CF) is frequently associated with significant structural lung damage as assessed by computed tomography (CT) scanning. Methods Using a validated CF scoring system (structural lung disease [SLD] score) we examined the degree of structural lung disease in a group of 25 children with CF who had received steroid therapy for ABPA (CF‐ABPA) and compared our findings to a matched group of CF patients without ABPA (CF‐CON) using both cross‐section and longitudinal analysis. Further, we examined the structure–function correlation between CT findings and lung function. Results Mean SLD score (expressed as a percentage of maximal score) was significantly higher (worse) in the CF‐ABPA group than the CF‐CON group (29.3% CF–ABPA vs. 18.7% CF‐CON p