How Do You Diagnose Histoplasmosis?
Histoplasmosis is an infection caused by the Histoplasma capsulatum fungus that primarily affects the lungs. It sometimes spreads to other organs and this form of the disease is called disseminated histoplasmosis, which can be fatal if left untreated. Histoplasma can be found on the skin of up to 80 percent of all people in eastern and central United States. The following steps will show how to diagnose a case of histoplasmosis. Realize that most infected people do not show any apparent symptoms. Histoplasmosis normally only affects patients with suppressed immune systems or those who inhale a large number of spores. Notice a dry cough, chest pain, fever and general malaise when respiratory histoplasmosis becomes acute. These symptoms begin to present 3 to 17 days after exposure. Acute pericarditis will develop in 5 percent of patients, with 40 to 60 percent of these developing pleural effusions. Expect chronic histoplasmosis to resemble tuberculosis that gets worse over months or even
