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Complications
By Mayo Clinic staffValley fever can cause a number of serious complications, especially in people living with HIV/AIDS. These complications include:
- Severe pneumonia. Most people recover from valley fever pneumonia without complications. Others, mainly Filipinos, Hispanics, blacks and Asians and those with weakened immune systems, may become seriously ill.
- Ruptured lung nodules. A small percentage of people develop thin-walled nodules (cavities) in their lungs. Many of these eventually disappear without causing any problems, but some may rupture, causing chest pain and difficulty breathing. A ruptured lung nodule might require the placement of a tube into the space around the lungs to remove the air, or surgery to repair the damage.
- Disseminated disease. This is the most serious complication of coccidioidomycosis. If the fungus spreads (disseminates) throughout the body, it can cause problems ranging from skin ulcers and abscesses to bone lesions, severe joint pain, heart inflammation, urinary tract problems and meningitis — an infection of the membranes and fluid covering the brain and spinal cord.
