How long it takes to cure cryptococcus in the lungs depends largely on its type and the severity of the disease. For mild simple cryptococcal infections of the respiratory tract, for example, patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease are usually treated with amphotericin b as the first choice, gradually increasing from a small dose to a high dose and then decreasing to a maintenance dose, which usually takes about 4-6 weeks on average to see a clinical effect and to be able to improve. A cure may be achieved if the treatment is followed by more than 1-2 months. For patients with more complicated, longer duration and more serious infection, the lung mucosa may have been severely damaged, and this is the time to treat with a combination of other drugs, such as amphotericin b combined with pentafluorocytosine and fluconazole. The medication is administered intravenously or orally and usually requires an average of 12 months of treatment. Some patients may develop drug resistance or tolerance to drugs and side effects, and may require additional courses of treatment or even more than two years to be cured.