How do you get tested for Valley fever?

How do you get tested for Valley fever?

The most common way that healthcare providers test for Valley fever is by taking a blood sample and sending it to a laboratory to look for Coccidioides antibodies or antigens. Healthcare providers may do imaging tests such as chest x-rays or CT scans of your lungs to look for Valley fever pneumonia.

Can you get Valley fever twice?

Usually not. If you’ve already had Valley fever, your immune system will most likely protect you from getting it again. Some people can have the infection come back again (a relapse) after getting better the first time, but this is very rare.

Can you get reinfected with Valley fever?

For many people, a single bout of valley fever results in lifelong immunity. But the disease can be reactivated, or you can be reinfected if your immune system is significantly weakened.

How is coccidioidomycosis diagnosed?

How Coccidioidomycosis Is Diagnosed

1. Sputum samples, produced by coughing or obtained by bronchoscopy, to look for the fungus in a lab culture.
2. Chest X-ray and/or CT scan (to look for pneumonia)
3. Biopsy of the affected site, typically the lung, to look for the fungus in the infected tissue.

What are the long-term effects of valley fever?

It is rare but can be very serious and fatal if not treated. In severe cases, Valley fever can develop into chronic pneumonia (lung infection) or meningitis (spine or brain infection) or infect bones and joints.

What are the long-term effects of Valley fever?

Does valley fever cause permanent lung damage?

Most people who have Valley fever will make a full recovery. A small percent of people develop long-term lung infections that can take several years to get better. In very severe cases of Valley fever, the nervous system can be affected and there may be long-term damage, but this is very rare.

Does valley fever scar the lungs?

The chronic form of the infection can cause lung abscesses and scarring in your lungs. There’s roughly a one percent chance that the fungal infection could spread to the rest of your body, causing disseminated valley fever, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention .