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Symptoms of Histoplasmosis

Man with thermometer in his mouth while holding his head.

Fever is a common symptom of histoplasmosis

Most people who are exposed to the fungus Histoplasma never have symptoms. Other people may have flu-like symptoms that usually go away on their own.

Symptoms of histoplasmosis include:1

  • Fever
  • Cough
  • Fatigue (extreme tiredness)
  • Chills
  • Headache
  • Chest pain
  • Body aches

How soon do the symptoms of histoplasmosis appear?

Symptoms of histoplasmosis may appear between 3 and 17 days after a person breathes in the fungal spores.

How long do the symptoms of histoplasmosis last?

For most people, the symptoms of histoplasmosis will go away within a few weeks to a month.2  However, some people have symptoms that last longer than this, especially if the infection becomes severe.

Severe histoplasmosis

In some people, usually those who have weakened immune systems, histoplasmosis can develop into a long-term lung infection, or it can spread from the lungs to other parts of the body, such as the central nervous system (the brain and spinal cord).3

References

  1. Cano MV, Hajjeh RA. The epidemiology of histoplasmosis: a review. Semin Respir Infect. 2001 Jun;16(2):109-18.
  2. Wheat LJ, Conces D, Allen SD, Blue-Hnidy D, Loyd J. Pulmonary histoplasmosis syndromes: recognition, diagnosis, and management. Semin Respir Crit Care Med. 2004 Apr;25(2):129-44.
  3. Assi MA, Sandid MS, Baddour LM, Roberts GD, Walker RC. Systemic histoplasmosis: a 15-year retrospective institutional review of 111 patients. Medicine. 2007 May;86(3):162-9.

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