What Are the Symptoms of Systemic Fungal Infections?
Systemic fungal infections often are chronic * and develop slowly, taking weeks or months to become a problem. Symptoms are sometimes similar to those of the common cold, but sometimes, especially in people with weakened immune systems, symptoms may be sudden and severe, requiring hospitalization. Symptoms may include cough, fever, chills, night sweats, anorexia (loss of appetite), weight loss, general fatigue, and depression. If the infection spreads from the lungs to other organs, it may be particularly severe, especially if the patient has a weakened immune system. For example, cryptococcosis (krip-to-ko-KO-sis) may lead to meningitis (men-in-JY-tis), which causes inflammation and swelling of the lining around the brain and spinal cord.
