202 Magazine September 2013 Edition September 2013 | Page 51

feeling great / 202 HEALTH AND WELLNESS

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Valley Fever Q+A
Chief of the Pulmonary Division of Cardon Children’s Medical Center, Mesa

Ask the Doctor
Dr. Edward Carter,

Image of microscopic spores of the Coccidioides fungus
Photo courtesy: CDC.gov continually remind myself that as much as I hated the symptoms of the medicine, they were actually helping me in the long run because the effects of valley fever would be far worse.” A far better approach, says Dr. Carter—protect yourself in advance. “It is especially important to avoid going outside during a dust storm,” but if you must, he cautions, “people should cover their nose and mouth with a shirt or cloth.” He also adds, “for those driving in a vehicle, switching the air conditioner to recirculate can reduce the amount of dust that gets into the car.” Some patients will continue to suffer long-term, but most, like Schubert will not experience severe or lasting effects. But Schubert admits, those few minutes in the dust were not worth the months of pain and ill-feeling that followed. “It took me three-and-a-half months to finally get a ‘negative’ result from my labwork, which meant I no longer had the virus, but I didn’t feel completely back to full health for about five months.” 202

Symptoms can seem somewhat general...cough, fatigue...how does someone know when to seek medical attention? The symptoms of valley fever are similar to those of many typical viral flu-like illnesses, but they tend to last longer. Thus, if you are experiencing fever, cough and fatigue for more than 5 to 7 days, it could be due to valley fever rather than a common viral infection. The symptoms of valley fever can last weeks and even months. Also, with valley fever you can get rashes, chest, pain, and night sweats, which are not that common with typical viral infections. How is a diagnosis of valley fever made? The diagnosis is made by blood testing looking for antibodies that the body makes to fight off the infection. Is valley fever specific to Arizona and the Valley? Valley fever is a major problem in several southwestern states, primarily Arizona, New Mexico, and California. It is more common in the dry, dusty, hot climates of the valleys, but you can get it in the mountains as well. What is the treatment? Even if you have symptoms of valley fever, often they will clear up with no treatment. However, for severe or persistent cases the treatment is a long course of anti-fungal medication, usually fluconazole.

Once you have valley fever, is it something you always have, just asymptomatic? Once you have recovered from the infection, you are free of the fungus. Thus, you get over the infection, though you might be left with some small areas of scarring (nodules) in the lung that do not cause any problems. Can you get it again? Yes, you can get valley fever again. You do not have life-long immunity from it. Are there some patients who experience long-term health effects and if so, what are those? First, there are subgroups of patients who are more prone to get valley fever and others who are at risk to get severe infections. The elderly and infants are more prone to get it. Persons of Filipino and African American descent and those with abnormal immune systems are at higher risk for severe infection. However, severe infection can develop in anyone who has valley fever. Severe infections can last months and cause life-threatening pneumonia. You can also get “disseminated disease” meaning the fungus leaves the lung and spreads to other parts of the body. Fortunately, this is rare, but it can happen. Those patients with severe longlasting disease need to be managed by a specialist in valley fever. They require aggressive treatment with antifungal medications, and they need to be monitored closely.

ABOUT THE WRITER – Paolo Benevento is a freelance writer focused on health and medical related stories in the East Valley.

202magazine.com / SEPTEMBER 2013 / 202 MAGAZINE

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