Histoplasmosis

Injury	Disease	Nutrition	Poison

Symptoms	Surgery	Test	Special Topic

Lungs

Acute histoplasmosis

Disseminated histoplasmosis

Histoplasmosis, disseminated in HIV patient

Overview

Symptoms

Treatment

Prevention

Histoplasmosis

Alternative Names:

Ohio River Valley fever

Symptoms:

Symptoms depend on the underlying clinical syndrome:

Acute asymptomatic pulmonary (lung) histoplasmosis -- no symptoms
Acute symptomatic pulmonary histoplasmosis
- fever
- chills
- cough
- chest pain when breathing in

Chronic pulmonary histoplasmosis
- cough
- shortness of breath
- chest pain
- excessive sweating
- fever - may resemble symptoms of pulmonary tuberculosis and include coughing up blood (hemoptysis)
Disseminated histoplasmosis
- fevers
- headache
- neck stiffness
- skin lesions
- mouth sores
Other histoplasma syndromes
- joint pain
- skin nodules (lumps)
- rashes

Signs and tests:

The diagnosis of histoplasmosis depends on the underlying condition. Tests may include analysis of the organism in sputum, lung tissue, blood, cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), or bone marrow tissue, as well as antigen tests performed on blood, urine, or CSF.

In addition, certain pathologic findings may be seen in tissue which may support the diagnosis of histoplasmosis.

Review Date: 7/16/2004
Reviewed By: Daniel Levy, M.D., Ph.D., Infectious Diseases, Greater Baltimore Medical Center, Baltimore, MD. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.

The information provided herein should not be used during any medical emergency or for the diagnosis or treatment of any medical condition. A licensed physician should be consulted for diagnosis and treatment of any and all medical conditions. Call 911 for all medical emergencies. Links to other sites are provided for information only -- they do not constitute endorsements of those other sites. Copyright 2004 A.D.A.M., Inc. Any duplication or distribution of the information contained herein is strictly prohibited.