Todays Topic of Awareness: Coccidioidomycosis - also known as Valley Fever (A MUST READ) A mother writes this about her son Devin: Could the Valley Fever have led to Devin’s hydrocephalus? The infectious disease team contacted an expert in the field of Valley Fever who said not only was it possible, it was the most likely explanation. So the Valley Fever came first, then the hydrocephalus leading to the shunt, then more sickness, the removal of the shunt, and finally the diagnosis and outlook for my son’s future. The good that came from all of this is we were able to bring our son home shunt-free. - (You can read her story at the link below) What is it? Coccidioidomycosis (Valley Fever) is a fungus found in the desert Southwest, and western United States. The spores of Valley Fever can be present in dirt and dust and can become airborne at any time. Valley Fever derives its name from its discovery in the San Joaquin Valley of California, where it was also referred to as San Joaquin Valley Fever or Desert Rheumatism. The medical name for Valley Fever is Coccidioidomycosis (often shortened to cocci caused by the fungus Coccidioides Area of Distribution: 1.Southwestern United States and Northern Mexico. 2.San Joaquin and Central Valleys of California 3.Southern Arizona (especially in the Phoenix and Tucson areas). 4.Southern parts of Nevada, Utah, New Mexico and Western Texas (especially around El Paso) 5.Mexico (in the states of Sonora and Chihuahua). 6.Also found in semiarid and arid soils of Central and South America Symptoms: •Most cases of Valley Fever are very mild. It is thought that over 60% of infected people have either no symptoms or experience flu-like symptoms and never seek medical attention. •Of those patients seeking medical care, the most common symptoms are fatigue, cough, chest pain, fever, rash, headache and joint aches. Some people develop painful red bumps on their shins or elsewhere that gradually turn brown (the medical term for these is erythema nodosum). •These symptoms are not unique to Valley Fever and can be caused by other illnesses. Therefore, identifying Valley Fever as the cause of illness requires specific laboratory tests.
Posted on: Tue, 02 Dec 2014 16:00:01 +0000
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