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Blastomycosis
Alternate Names : Gilchrist's Disease, North American Blastomycosis
DefinitionBlastomycosis is a rare fungal infection caused by inhaling a fungus (Blastomyces dermatitidis), which is found in wood and soil.
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Overview, Causes, & Risk Factors
Blastomycosis occurs most often in people living in the south-central and Midwestern US and Canada. Exposure to soil is the key risk factor. The disease usually affects people with compromised immune systems, such as people with HIV or organ transplant recipients.
Men are more likely to be affected than women. Lung infection may produce no symptoms, but when the infection is widespread, skin lesions or bone lesions may appear and the urogenital system (bladder, kidney, prostate, testes) may be affected.
The incidence of blastomycosis is 1-2 out of every 100,000 people in geographic areas where blastomycosis occurs most frequently. It is even less common outside those areas.
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Jump to another section
• Definition
• Blastomycosis Overview, Causes, & Risk Factors
• Blastomycosis Symptoms & Signs
• Blastomycosis Prevention
• Blastomycosis Diagnosis & Tests
• Blastomycosis Treatment
• Blastomycosis Prognosis
• Blastomycosis Complications
• Calling Your Health Care Provider
• Pictures & Images
Topics that might be of interest to you Diseases & Conditions
• Abscess
• Immunodeficiency Disorders
• Pneumonia
• Skin Lesion of Blastomycosis
Tests & Exams
• Biopsy
• Chest X-Ray
• Routine Sputum Culture
• Skin Lesion Biopsy
Other Topics
• Chest Pain
• Cough
• Fatigue
• Fever
• Incidence
• Joint Pain
• Malaise
• Muscle Aches
• Rashes
• Sweating - Excessive
• Weight Loss - Unintentional
Review Date : 7/31/2002
Reviewed By : Christopher Parsons, M.D., Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.
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