UA Valley Fever Center for Excellence Documents Valley Fever as "A Regional Disease of National Importance" in Annals of Internal Medicine
Contact: Jean Spinelli or George Humphrey, (520)626-7301
Email: [email protected]
Email: [email protected]
For a copy of the article, call Susan Anderson, American College of Physicians-American Society of Internal Medicine, Communications Department, (215)351-2653, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. EST.)
Valley fever is as common to the desert Southwest as cacti, yet it is a regional health problem that is gaining national importance according to an article by John N. Galgiani, M.D., director of The University of Arizona Valley Fever Center for Excellence in Tucson, published February 16 in the Annals of Internal Medicine. The UA Valley Fever Center for Excellence is jointly sponsored by the UA and the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Tucson.
Due to the migration of population to the southwestern United States and to the increasing number of immuno-suppressed patients who are unusually susceptible to the most serious consequences of infection, valley fever should be considered an "emerging disease" of importance to the nation as a whole, says Galgiani, who also is professor of medicine, Department of Medicine, UA College of Medicine, and chief, Section of Infectious Diseases, VA Medical Center. "Perhaps the most important trend has been the massive migration of Americans to the Sunbelt states, in particular Arizona, which in 1996 was the third fastest-growing state in the U.S.," Galgiani says. "Similar expansion has occurred in central California and west Texas, which also are areas where coccidioides immitis, the fungus that causes valley fever, is endemic." As populations have expanded in these areas, researchers have seen a growing segment of persons who have increased susceptibility to life-threatening coccidioidal infections due to corticosteroid therapy, antineoplastic chemotherapy, immune suppression for organ transplantation, and diseases that impair cellular immunity, such as AIDS.
Although valley fever is still most apparent in the southwestern United States, it isn't limited to this area. People who move from the area to other parts of the country may subsequently acquire a condition that suppresses cellular immunity, which permits reactivation of infections acquired years earlier. "The mobility of modern society makes what was once a disease of regional importance now one that must be considered relevant throughout the country," Galgiani says. In his article, Galgiani calls for additional research into the biology, immunology and treatment of valley fever-including development of a vaccine. Valley fever is one of the most difficult illnesses to prevent, detect and treat. The fungus that causes valley fever -- also called coccidioidomycosis -- is abundant in Sonoran desert soil and people are exposed to it by breathing the air where the fungus exists. Most people recover in a few weeks from valley fever's flu-like symptoms and fatigue. Some may develop pneumonia that doesn't respond to antibiotics, but usually is cured by the body's natural immunity to the fungus. Those who have conditions or are taking medicines that reduce their immunity may be unable to prevent the spread of the fungus to other parts of the body, a life-threatening situation. For more information about valley fever, call the UA Valley Fever Center for Excellence, (520)629-4777.
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