Friday, February, 10, 2012

Coccidioidomycosis - disseminated

Table of Contents

Alternative Names

Coccidioidomycosis - systemic


Symptoms

Most acute infections cause no symptoms. Other times, the symptoms range from mild to severe.

Symptoms include:

  • Cough
  • Fever
  • Chills
  • Headache
  • Muscle stiffness
  • Muscle aches
  • Neck or shoulder stiffness
  • Change in mental status
  • Sensitivity to light

Other symptoms that may occur with this disease:

  • Joint swelling
  • Joint pain
  • Skin reaction (erythema nodosum)
  • Arthritis
  • Ankle, feet, and leg swelling

Signs and tests

Tests that may be done include:

  • CBC with differential
  • Chest x-ray
  • Coccidioidin skin test
  • Sputum KOH test
  • Coccidioides complement fixation titer to measure antibodies to the Coccidioides fungus in the blood
  • Sputum culture

A biopsy of tissue may be done to determine the area of disseminated disease:

  • Bone marrow biopsy
  • Liver biopsy
  • Open lung biopsy
  • Skin lesion biopsy

A brain and nervous system (neurological) examination may show abnormalities.


Review Date: 08/28/2009
Reviewed By: David C. Dugdale, III, MD, Professor of Medicine, Division of General Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Washington School of Medicine; and Jatin M. Vyas, MD, PhD, Assistant Professor in Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Assistant in Medicine, Division of Infectious Disease, Department of Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.

A.D.A.M., Inc. is accredited by URAC, also known as the American Accreditation HealthCare Commission (www.urac.org)