What does immunocompromised mean? How does this affect a Valley Fever infection?
A person is immunocompromised when his or her immune system (the body’s defense against disease) is not intact. This may be the result of diabetes, chronic use of corticosteroids, cancer, chemotherapy, HIV/AIDS, organ transplantation, pregnancy or even aging. Usually the body is able to fight the fungus and recover without medication. If the immune system is compromised, it is unable to control the infection and allows the infection to spread from the lungs to other organs. The spread of infection from the lungs to other parts of the body is called dissemination.
A person is immunocompromised when his or her immune system (the body’s defense against disease) is not intact. This may be the result of diabetes, chronic use of corticosteroids, cancer, chemotherapy, HIV/AIDS, organ transplantation, pregnancy or even aging. Usually the body is able to fight the fungus and recover without medication. If the immune system is compromised, it is unable to control the infection and allows the infection to spread from the lungs to other organs. The spread of infection from the lungs to other parts of the body is called dissemination.
