Chronic pulmonary aspergillosis commonly complicates treated pulmonary tuberculosis with residual cavitation

Chronic pulmonary aspergillosis (CPA) complicates treated pulmonary tuberculosis (TB), with high 5-year mortality. We measured CPA prevalence in this group.398 Ugandans with treated pulmonary TB underwent clinical assessment, chest radiography and <i>Aspergillus</i>-specific IgG measurement. 285 were resurveyed 2 years later, including computed tomography of the thorax in 73 with suspected CPA. CPA was diagnosed in patients without active TB who had raised <i>Aspergillus-</i>specific IgG, radiological features of CPA and chronic cough or haemoptysis.Author-defined CPA was present in 14 (4.9%, 95% CI 2.8-7.9%) resurvey patients. CPA was significantly more common in those with chest radiography cavitation (26% <i>versus</i> 0.8%; p<0.001), but possibly less frequent in HIV co-infected patients (3% <i>versus</i> 6.7%; p=0.177<i>)</i> The annual rate of new CPA development between surveys was 6.5% in those with chest radiography cavitation and 0.2% in those without (p<0.001). Absence of cavitation and pleural thickening on chest radiography had 100% negative predictive value for CPA. The combination of raised <i>Aspergillus-</i>specific IgG, chronic cough or haemoptysis and chest radiography cavitation had 85.7% sensitivity and 99.6% specificity for CPA diagnosis.CPA commonly complicates treated pulmonary TB with residual chest radiography cavitation. Chest radiography alone can exclude CPA. Addition of serology can diagnose CPA with reasonable accuracy.