Health Dictionary
Reliable, easy-to-read patient information on common medical conditions — written in plain language, free of jargon, and grounded in current evidence. Browse the most frequent diagnoses, understand what they mean for everyday life, and learn which steps and questions help you have a focused conversation with your doctor.
Cryptococcosis risk factors
Introduction
Overview
Overview
Risk factors for the development of cryptococcal infection include being immunocompromised and inhalational exposure (most commonly from dry bird droppings).
Risk Factors
Risk Factors
Risk factors for the development of cryptococcal infection include:
- Being immunocompromised, such as having advanced HIV/AIDS (CD4 <100 cells/mm), organ transplantation, invasive cancer, or intake of corticosteroids or other immunosuppressive medications.[1][2][3]
- Cryptococcus is ubiquitous in the environment, but inhalational exposure to dry bird droppings or guano (excrement of seabirds or cave-dwelling bats) increases the risk of contracting the disease if a patient is immunocompromised.
- Smoking and outdoor occupations are considered risk factors for inhalational exposure.[4]
- Taking high-dose corticosteroids, monoclonal antibodies such as alemtuzumab or infliximab, or other immunosuppressive agents.
References
References
- ↑ Lin YY, Shiau S, Fang CT (2015). “Risk factors for invasive Cryptococcus neoformans diseases: a case-control study”. PLoS One. 10 (3): e0119090. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0119090. PMC 4352003. PMID 25747471.
- ↑ C. neoformans Infection Risk & Prevention. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2015). http://www.cdc.gov/fungal/diseases/cryptococcosis-neoformans/risk-prevention.html. Accessed on December 30, 2015.
- ↑ MacDougall L, Fyfe M, Romney M, Starr M, Galanis E (2011). “Risk factors for Cryptococcus gattii infection, British Columbia, Canada” Check
|url=value (help). Emerg Infect Dis. 17 (2): 193–9. doi:10.3201/eid1702.101020. PMC 3204768. PMID 21291588. - ↑ Hajjeh RA, Conn LA, Stephens DS, Baughman W, Hamill R, Graviss E; et al. (1999). “Cryptococcosis: population-based multistate active surveillance and risk factors in human immunodeficiency virus-infected persons. Cryptococcal Active Surveillance Group”. J Infect Dis. 179 (2): 449–54. doi:10.1086/314606. PMID 9878030.
Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1] Associate Editor(s)-in-Chief: Serge Korjian M.D.; Yazan Daaboul, M.D.