What are the Typical Symptoms for Winter Colds and Respiratory Illnesses?
The symptoms of a respiratory illness can sometimes be masked by the typical symptoms of a common winter cold, especially if you’ve never had respiratory problems before. As we all know, the common cold will plague you with sneezing, stuffy nose, runny nose, sore throat, coughing, post nasal drip and watery eyes. A respiratory illness can have some of the same symptoms like a stuffy nose, a sore throat, wheezing, and coughing but is differentiated by burning eyes instead of just watery eyes and sometimes a skin rash. These tell-tale signs of a respiratory illness will be more severe for those with asthma, immunocompromised conditions, or people with mold allergies, who will experience tightness in their chests, shortness of breath, and asthma attacks.
Can you Get Respiratory Problems from Mold?
Even though you can get sick from mold in your surroundings, respiratory health problems can be far worse. Respiratory illnesses can originate from mold inside your home or workplace environment, affecting your overall quality of life. One common respiratory illness that you can get from mold is an infection called aspergillosis, diagnosed by a variety of symptoms. Some versions of this infection can reach your sinuses causing fever, facial pain or headaches, respiratory problems are the most common. When those with asthma or cystic fibrosis are exposed to or inhale the specific type of aspergillosis mold spores, they can develop a condition called allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis that worsens their asthma, causes a bloody or mucus filled cough, and a fever.
Exposure to aspergillosis mold spores for those with emphysema, tuberculosis or sarcoidosis can be especially debilitating when these conditions cause air cavities in their lungs. When the aspergillus reaches and infects these air cavities, they settle in and grow into fungus clusters called aspergillomas. When left untreated, these masses can cause shortness of breath, wheezing, bloody coughs, weight loss, and fatigue.
Invasive aspergillosis is the most severe form of respiratory illness caused by mold and is diagnosed when the infection spreads rapidly to the brain, heart, kidneys or the skin. This advanced form of mold infection only affects people going through chemotherapy or that have immune system diseases/conditions and can be fatal if left untreated. If you suspect that you or your family members are at risk for mold related respiratory problems, call your doctor immediately and then make an appointment for a mold expert to assess your home for harmful molds.
How do I know if there’s Mold in My House Making me Sick?
Mold spores are everywhere inside and out, but determining if it’s harmful mold that’s making you sick or just a respiratory illness can be difficult. A proper mold inspection is the only sure way to determine if the types of mold present are harmful. It’s important to make an appointment with the doctor if you’ve developed any new respiratory infections or members of your household inexplicably have the symptoms associated with a mold allergy.
What’s the Difference Between a Winter Respiratory Illness and a Mold Allergy?
As winter sets in, all of the winter illnesses start making their rounds. However winter is also the time of year for mold to develop as it gets in through open vents, heating systems, and settles in wherever there is moisture. Your cough, nasal congestion, sore throat, fever, wheezing, shortness of breath, fatigue and eye irritation are all symptoms of winter respiratory illness, but there symptoms differ only slightly from mold allergies known to cause sneezing, runny nose, cough, postnasal drip, itchy eyes/nose/throat, watery eyes and dry/scaly skin. Mold allergy symptoms will become prevalent as you spend more time in spaces that have a high concentration of mold. The only sure way to determine if you have a winter respiratory illness or a mold allergy is to discuss with your doctor and have your home inspected for mold.
How do you Recover from Mold Exposure?
In most cases, medical intervention is not necessary once the source of the mold causing respiratory illness has been removed and the area treated. However, recovery from mold illnesses like aspergillosis or for those with serious mold allergies or respiratory complications could require antifungal medications or surgery. For others, long term health effects from short term mold exposure are low, but the effects of long term exposure are still uncertain, which is why it is so important to remove harmful mold from your environment.
MSR Restoration Offers Complete Mold Remediation Services to Restore your Family’s Health!
Whether you’re experiencing mold related respiratory illnesses or want to prevent mold from growing in those warm and damp areas of your house, Call MSR Restoration to schedule an appointment. The experts at MSR Restoration can keep your family healthy and happy with efficient and effective treatment options and mold prevention tips to make sure harmful mold never finds its way into your home!
