[ad_1]
The twelve surviving children of a cave in Thailand may have developed a form of histoplasmosis, a disease commonly referred to as cave disease. Before the rescue, doctors quoted by the Reuters news agency warned of the danger that teenagers develop histoplasmosis, but also other diseases such as meningitis, leptospirosis and pneumonia.
What is histoplasmosis?
Histoplasmosis is an infection contracted by inhalation of spores of the fungus Histoplasma capsulatum. Most people have no symptoms, but some people feel sick, have fever and cough, and sometimes have difficulty breathing. Sometimes the infection spreads, causing enlargement of the liver, spleen and lymph nodes.
The diagnosis is medical and is based on the analysis of complementary diagnostic tests such as chest x-ray, analysis of tissue samples or secretions, urine and blood.
This mushroom, Histoplasma capsulatum grows in soils contaminated with feces from birds or bats, for example.
The different forms
Acute pulmonary histoplasmosis: It is the initial form of infection, it is the initial form of infection. It occurs only in the lungs and is not fatal. Symptoms appear between 3 and 21 days after spore inhalation. The disease is characterized by fever, cough and flu-like symptoms. Symptoms usually go away without treatment within two weeks and rarely last more than six weeks. In some cases, pneumonia may develop
Progressive disseminated histoplasmosis: If the immune system is weak or underdeveloped, the infection can spread from the lungs through the bloodstream to other parts of the body such as the brain, marrow, liver, spleen, lymph nodes, digestive system or bone marrow.
This form rarely occurs in healthy adults. It usually develops in malnourished babies, very young children or people with weakened immune systems as carriers of HIV / AIDS. The symptoms are not specific, but the disease can develop into pneumonia. The disease can become serious in people living with HIV / AIDS. Without treatment, it is fatal in more than 90% of people.
Chronic cavity histoplasmosis: Cavities develop in the lungs for several weeks. The infection does not spread from the lungs to other parts of the body but gradually develops over several weeks, causing coughing and breathing difficulties. Symptoms include fever, weight loss, night sweats, mild fever and general malaise. In advanced cases, it can cause sputum with blood. A lung injury or bacterial invasion of the lungs can cause death
Information from the Wayne State University School of Medicine, United States
[ad_2]
Source link
