Valley fever is also called San Joaquin valley fever since he was the first man to invent the fungus Coccidioides immitis which causes it. Valley fever is the fungal infection affecting the lungs by inhaling the polluted air particles.
The possible causes for getting valley fever are lowered immune system due to chemotherapy or any other form of cancer treatment. Getting an organ implant or undergoing anti tumor necrosis therapy and HIV may also induce the immunity level to get infected by fungus. Diabetes and travelling to fungus prone area are also other reasons for getting valley fever.
The common symptoms of valley fever are chest pain, fever, headache, pain or swelling in legs and ankle, cough with phlegm, loss of appetite and stiffness in joints. Generally the infection starts at lungs and spread to other parts through blood thereby affecting bones, joints, lymph nodes and nervous system. People with severe infection may also experience change in mood, enlarged lymph, severe lung infection and weight loss.
Treatment is not required for valley fever since it wades without taking medicines. Taking complete rest and staying away from pollution can provide relief from the symptoms. People with weak immune system can go for antifungal treatment by the intake of medicines like fluconazole and amphotericin. In rare cases, surgery is done to amputate the infected part of the lungs in case of chronic lung disease, leading to pus formation.
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