Histoplasmosis risk factors

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Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]

Risk Factors

This "acute" infection does not last, but can leave a person with small scars (granulomas). These scars can be difficult to distinguish from tumors in the lung. However, the infection can cause severe illness right away, or redevelop years after the first exposure, if a person's immune system is weakened by:

• Cancer
• Chemotherapy
• Immune-suppressing drugs
• HIV infection

Risk factors for chronic pulmonary histoplasmosis include:

• Living in or traveling to central or eastern United States
• Exposure to soil or particles contaminated with droppings of chickens, bats, or blackbirds
• Pre-existing COPD
• Weakened immune system, such as in people who have AIDS