Original article
Mycology
Burden of serious fungal infections in Spain

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cmi.2014.07.013Get rights and content
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Abstract

Estimates of the incidence and prevalence of serious fungal infections, based on epidemiological data, are essential in order to inform public health priorities given the lack of resources dedicated to the diagnosis and treatment of these serious fungal diseases. However, epidemiology of these infections is largely unknown, except for candidaemia and cryptococcosis. The aim of this work is to calculate the burden of serious fungal infections in Spain. All published epidemiology papers reporting fungal infection rates from Spain were identified. Where no data existed, we used specific populations at risk and fungal infection frequencies in those populations to estimate national incidence or prevalence, depending on the condition. Around 8.1 million people suffer a fungal infection every year. Most of them are skin or mucosal infections causing no deaths. Candidaemia is more common than in other European countries and has risen by 1.88-fold in frequency in the last decade (8.1 cases × 100 000). Good estimates of invasive aspergillosis (2.75 cases × 100 000) and mucormycosis (0.04 × 100 000) are available. Fungal infections with a high mortality such as invasive aspergillosis, candidaemia, Pneumocystis pneumonia and mucormycosis are not numerous in Spain, but they affect those with severe underlying diseases and are therefore linked to poor outcomes. Additional studies are required, especially for high burden diseases such as recurrent thrush in women (∼9000 cases × 100 000 women), allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis (126 cases × 100 000) and severe asthma with fungal sensitisation (198 cases × 100 000).

Keywords

ABPA
aspergillosis
burden
candidiasis
cryptococcosis
fungal infections
histoplasmosis
mucormycosis
Pneumocystis pneumonia
SAFS

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