Valley fever

What is valley fever? The answer to what is valley fever is quite simple. Valley fever is a fungal infection of the lungs caused by two types of fungi coccidiodes immitis and coccidiodes posadasii.

Also known as desert fever, desert rheumatism, California Valley fever, San Joakin Valley fever, and acute valley fever, valley fever was first noticed in the late 1800s in Argentina. The endemic disease is caused by a fungus that manifests itself in arid desert areas where the soil has been dug up. Most people ask the question, Is valley fever contagious?

Valley fever is not contagious, but it is spread through already infested dust and soil particles. Any activity that dislodges layers of soil like wind, farming, or construction releases the fungal spores into the atmosphere, where people in the vicinity inhale the spores into their lungs causing the onset of valley fever, also known by the technical term “coccidioidomycosis.”

The fungi are found in the arid desert soils of southwestern United States, northern areas of Mexico, and certain regions of South and Central America. Upon inhalation, the spores or cysts in the fungus travel from the soil through air to the respiratory tract. Once they reach the lungs, they reproduce rapidly and cause damage to the various organs and body systems. Approximately seventy percent of adults with valley fever symptoms either do not notice any symptoms or display mild valley fever symptoms. Sometimes since the symptoms are not very noticeable in the early stages most humans do not get treatment. Persons who do seek treatment have displayed various symptoms of valley fever including tiredness, chest pain, cough, headache, fever, and valley fever rash (red bumps on their skin). Besides valley fever rash, additional side-effects like joint aches are also other valley fever symptoms. Accompanied by fever, these red rashes make their appearance on the lower legs, arms, back, and chest. Such valley fever rashes are painful and may look like blisters or pimples, before turning brown later. In very severe cases, once the infection spreads, it can give rise to abscesses, skin ulcers, kidney problems, inflammation of the heart, bone lacerations, and joint pains.

Valley fever diagnosis. A blood or skin test is done to determine valley fever infection. In about five percent of cases, nodules develop on the lungs that might appear like lung cancer in a chest x-ray. A biopsy or surgery can determine if the nodule is due to valley fever. An additional five percent of patients experience what can be termed as a lung cavity. This is usually the case with older patients, and more than half of the cavities disappear after a while without treatment. In case there is a rupture in the lung cavity, the patients will experience difficulty in breathing and have chest pains. Left undetected, the infection could affect the brain, bones, skin, and rest of the body too. Since the diagnosis cannot be verified by mere physical symptoms like cold, fever cough, and joint pains alone, valley fever diagnosis calls for laboratory tests of the blood, body fluids (sputum), and tissue samples. Depending on one’s health and the amount of spores inhaled by an individual, the disease could last anywhere from between eight months to a year before it is finally contained.

If you have traveled to any of the risk prone regions and have experienced any of the symptoms listed, you should ask your doctors or pulmonary specialists to specifically test for the presence of valley fever. However, in some cases, if no medical aid is sought in the initial stages, it could escalate to pneumonia that could later become chronic. This is often so in people who already have a poor immune system or diabetes. The condition could take a turn for the worse when it advances to various parts of the body like the skin, brain, liver, heart, and membranes or coverings of the spinal cord and brain.

Valley fever treatment: As with influenza and the common cold, doctors recommend that the individual drink fluids and take plenty of physical rest. There is usually no treatment prescribed for relatively mild cases of valley fever since the symptoms usually disappear without any medication. In acute cases, valley fever treatment includes a prescription antifungal drug.

Available in chemist shops, drug stores, and pharmacies, theses drugs are known to target the underlying infection. Some people could experience abdominal pain, nausea, and vomiting, and diarrhea when on this medication. If the disease is of a more serious nature, the drug (amphoteicin) can be given intravenously. Though medication and rest can cure a person diagnosed with valley fever, it could relapse in rare cases because of low immunity.

There are roughly close to a 100,000 new cases of valley fever each year. While valley fever does not just affect one set of persons on the basis of gender or race, men are more at risk than women. African Americans, Hispanics, Native Americans, Filipinos, and Asians are more susceptible to the ailment. Generally persons with weak immune systems face a greater risk of contracting the disease. In terms of profession, farm and construction workers and other persons who spend time working in dirt and dust are most likely to get valley fever. Exposure to dust storms and recreational activities in dust/dirt areas make individuals more prone to this infection. Women in the advanced stage of their pregnancy and immediately after the delivery of the child are susceptible to this disease. Age of a person plays a great role as older people find it harder to combat the disease as their immunity level is weak or they could have other chronic health issues as well. The infection takes a more severe toll on people with diabetes. People undergoing steroid treatment, chemotherapy, and those on anti rejection medication post transplant surgery are at great risk should they get infected with valley fever.

Since prevention is better than cure, the wisest thing to do is to avoid traveling, particularly in summer, to such places where valley fever is known to be prevalent. You should also avoid exposure to dust by staying indoors, and always be sure to water the soil and wear a mask before doing any gardening.