What We Provide
Maybe you or a loved one has just received a diagnosis of aspergillosis and you’re not sure where to start. Or maybe you need to share information about your condition with your doctor, carer, housing association or benefits assessor. This website is here to provide patients and carers with everything you need to know about aspergillosis.
About Us
This website is edited and maintained by the NHS National Aspergillosis Centre (NAC) CARES team.
The National Aspergillosis Centre is an NHS highly specialised commissioned service that specialises in the diagnosis and management of chronic aspergillosis, a serious infection affecting mostly the lungs caused by pathogen species of the fungus Aspergillus – mostly A. fumigatus but also several other species. NAC accepts referrals and requests for advice and guidance from all over the UK.
We run a Facebook support group and weekly Zoom meetings which provide a great opportunity to chat with other patients, carers and NAC staff.
This website can be used to check whether any prescription drugs you may be taking will interact with your antifungal medication.
The blog area has posts on a variety of topics including information on living with aspergillosis, lifestyle & coping skills and research news.
What is Aspergillosis?
Aspergillosis is a group of conditions caused by Aspergillus, a species of mould that is found in lots of places all over the world.
Most of these moulds are harmless. However, some can cause a variety of diseases ranging from allergic reactions to life-threatening conditions, or both.
Aspergillosis rarely develops in healthy individuals
Most people breathe in theses spores every day without any issues.
Transmission
You cannot catch aspergillosis from another person or from animals.
There are 3 forms of Aspergillosis:
Chronic Infections
- Chronic pulmonary Aspergillosis (CPA)
- Keratitis
- Otomycosis
- Onychomycosis
- Saprophytic Sinusitis
Allergic
- Allergic Bronchopulmonary Aspergillosis (ABPA)
- Severe Asthma with Fungal sensitivity (SAFS)
- Asthma Associated with Fungal Sensitivity (AAFS)
- Allergic Fungal Sinusitus (AFS)
Acute
Acute infections such as invasive aspergillosis are life-threatening and occur in people with weakened immune systems.
A-Z of Aspergillosis
The Aspergillosis Trust has compiled an A-Z of everything you might need to know if you have a diagnosis of aspergillosis. Written by patients for patients, this list has lots of useful tips and information for living with the disease:
News & Updates
NAC CARES team charity run for the Fungal Infection Trust
The Fungal Infection Trust (FIT) provides vital support for the work of the CARES team, without which it would be much more difficult to maintain their unique work. This year, starting on World Aspergillosis Day 2023 (1st Feb) the CARES team is paying back some of...
NAC CARES Virtual Challenge – 587.5 miles (945.11 km down)
We are excited to share with you an update on our team's virtual Lands End to John O'Groats challenge. As you may know, our team is walking, cycling, and running the length of the UK to raise money for the Fungal Infection Trust. We are proud to announce that we have...
Fungal vaccine developments
The numbers of individuals at risk of fungal infections are increasing due to an aging population, increased use of immunosuppressive medications, pre-existing medical conditions, environmental changes, and lifestyle factors. Therefore, there is a growing concern...
Asthma UK’s End the Lung Health Lottery
Today is the launch of Asthma UK's End the Lung Health Lottery campaign. The initiative seeks to address the significant health inequalities that exist across the UK and highlights the fact that where people live, their income...
Health Notice
Support us
FIT funding enables the National Aspergillosis Centre to host large Facebook groups, such as the National Aspergillosis Centre Support (UK) group and also groups that support their research into Chronic Pulmonary Aspergillosis (CPA) and Allergic Bronchopulmonary Aspergillosis (ABPA). This patient participation and involvement is vital for NAC research.
English
Arabic
Chinese (Simplified)
Dutch
French
German
Italian
Polish
Portuguese
Russian
Spanish
Turkish
Ukrainian