Lung cancer causes more deaths than any other type of cancer. Timely screening can help doctors diagnose early the beginning stages of the disease, even before the appearance of symptoms.

1. Valley fever:
Recognizing
the causes and
symptoms of
coccidioidomycosis
Coccidioidomycosis or cocci is a fungal infection endemic in arid regions, such as the southwestern United
States, northern Mexico, and parts of South and Central America.
Causes
Image Source: wikipedia.org
Cocci is caused by the spores of two types of pathogenic fungus: coccidioides immitis and coccidioides
posadasii which are found in the soil of dry areas. When it rains, or if the soil is disturbed, the spores are
released into the air. When inhaled, the spores may enter the airways and reach the lungs, where the
spores begin to multiply. The body reacts to the presence of the spores with inflammation.
Individuals at higher risk of acquiring cocci include those who live in or travel to endemic areas, those who
are exposed to soil dust (e.g., agricultural workers), older adults, and women in the early late stages of
pregnancy.
Symptoms
Coccidioidomycosis can be classified into three types: acute, progressive, and disseminated.

2. Image Source: boungous.com
About 60 percent of those with acute coccidioidomycosis do not present any symptoms. Symptomatic
patients often experience influenza-like symptoms, such as:
Cough
Fever
Fatigue
Shortness of breath
Muscle and joint pain
Rashes
These usually appear one to three weeks after infection. If the host is unable to fight off the infection, acute
coccidioidomycosis may develop into the progressive form of the disease, which can cause scarring and
volume loss in the lungs, and inflammation.
Disseminated coccidioidomycosis, meanwhile, is the most severe form of the disease and can be fatal. It
occurs in about one percent of all coccidioidomycosis cases and develops months or years after the initial
exposure to the spores. In this stage, the infection has spread from the lungs to other parts of the body.
The symptoms vary, depending on the area of infection. The complications of disseminated
coccidioidomycosis include skin lesions, pneumonia, ruptured lung nodules, and meningitis.

3. TAGS: causes of valley fear, cocci, coccidioidomycosis, san joaquin valley fever, symptoms of valley fever, valley
fever
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Those who suspect that they might have coccidioidomycosis, as well as travelers returning from regions
where the condition is common, should make an appointment with their physician for proper diagnosis and
treatment as soon as possible.
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