Cryptococcosis

Introduction: Cryptococcosis

Cryptococcosis: A fungal infection caused by Cryptococcus neoformans which primarily affects the central nervous system and the lungs. People with weakened immune systems such as AIDS sufferers are generally more susceptible to this type of infection. More detailed information about the symptoms, causes, and treatments of Cryptococcosis is available below.

Symptoms of Cryptococcosis

• Asymptomatic - early lung infection often has no symptoms
• Meningitis
• Encephalitis
• Meningoencephalitis
• Headache

See full list of 19 symptoms of Cryptococcosis

Medical Textbooks Online about Cryptococcosis

Book excerpts: Copyright © 2008 Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. All rights reserved.

Less Common Symptoms of Cryptococcosis

• Cryptococcal pyelonephritis
• Chorioretinitis
• Endocarditis
• Adrenalitis
• Hepatitis

Read more about symptoms of Cryptococcosis

Wrongly Diagnosed with Cryptococcosis?

• Misdiagnosis of Cryptococcosis
• Underlying causes of Cryptococcosis (possibly wrongly diagnosed)

Misdiagnosis and Cryptococcosis

Chronic digestive conditions often misdiagnosed: When diagnosing chronic symptoms of the digestive tract, there are a variety of conditions...read more »

Intestinal bacteria disorder may be hidden cause: One of the lesser known causes of diarrhea is an imbalance of bacterial in the gut, sometimes called ...read more »

Antibiotics often causes diarrhea: The use of antibiotics are very likely to cause some level of diarrhea in patients. The reason is that...read more »

Food poisoning may actually be an infectious disease: Many people who come down with "stomach symptoms" like diarrhea assume that it's "something I ate" (i.e. food poisoning). In...read more »

Mesenteric adenitis misdiagnosed as appendicitis in children: Because appendicitis is one of the more feared conditions for a child with abdominal pain, it can be over-diagnosed (it can, of course,...read more »

Celiac disease often fails to be diagnosed cause of chronic digestive symptoms: One of the most common chronic digestive conditions is celiac disease, a malabsorption disorder with a...read more »

Chronic digestive diseases hard to diagnose: There is an inherent difficulty in diagnosing the various types of chronic digestive diseases. Some of the better known possibilities are peptic ulcer, colon...read more »

Read more about Misdiagnosis and Cryptococcosis

Causes of Cryptococcosis

• HIV
• Immunocompromise

Read more about causes of Cryptococcosis

More information about causes of Cryptococcosis:

• Underlying causes of Cryptococcosis

Videos for Cryptococcosis

Patient Surveys for Cryptococcosis

• Patient Profile Survey
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• Survey about the symptoms of your Cryptococcosis
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Prognosis for Cryptococcosis

More about prognosis of Cryptococcosis

Reseach about Cryptococcosis

Visit our research pages for current research about Cryptococcosis treatments.

Clinical Trials for Cryptococcosis

The US based website ClinicalTrials.gov lists information on both federally and privately supported clinical trials using human volunteers.

Some of the clinical trials listed on ClinicalTrials.gov for Cryptococcosis include:

• Evaluation and Follow-up of Patients With Cryptococcosis - This study is currently recruiting patients (Current: 23 Nov 2006)
• Evaluation of the Association of Polymorphisms in the Innate Immune System With the Risk for Cryptococcus Neoformans Infection in Patients Not Infected With HIV and Complications Associated With Cryptococcus Neoformans Infection - This study is currently recruiting patients (Current: 23 Nov 2006)
• Multi-Center Comparison of Fluconazole (UK-49,858) and Amphotericin B as Treatment for Acute Cryptococcal Meningitis - This study has been completed (Current: 23 Nov 2006) - Flucytosine,Fluconazole,Amphotericin B
• A Randomized Double Blind Protocol Comparing Amphotericin B With Flucytosine to Amphotericin B Alone Followed by a Comparison of Fluconazole and Itraconazole in the Treatment of Acute Cryptococcal Meningitis - This study has been completed (Current: 23 Nov 2006) - Itraconazole,Flucytosine,Fluconazole,Amphotericin B
• SCH 39304 as Therapy for Acute Cryptococcal Meningitis in HIV-Infected Patients Followed by Maintenance Therapy - This study has been completed (Current: 23 Nov 2006) - SCH 39304

See full list of 25 Clinical Trials for Cryptococcosis

Statistics for Cryptococcosis

• Medical statistics for Cryptococcosis
• Prevalence and incidence statistics for Cryptococcosis
• Death and Mortality statistics for Cryptococcosis
• Society statistics for Cryptococcosis

Types of Cryptococcosis

• C. neoformans var. neoformans
• C. neoformans var. gattii

Read more about Types of Cryptococcosis

Medical Guidebooks and Ebooks for Cryptococcosis

• Icon Health Sourcebook for Cryptococcosis

See all guides and ebooks for Cryptococcosis

Stories from Users Related to Cryptococcosis

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User Interactive Forums

Read about other experiences, ask a question about Cryptococcosis, or answer someone else's question, on our message boards:

• I can not get a diagnosis. Please help.
• Tell us your medical story.
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• What is the best treatment for this?
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Definitions of Cryptococcosis:

An acute or chronic, localized or disseminated infection by Cryptococcus neoformans. Sites of involvement include the lungs, central nervous system and meninges, skin, and visceral organs.--2004 - (Source - Diseases Database)

A fungal infection characterized by nodular lesions--first in the lungs and spreading to the nervous system - (Source - WordNet 2.1)

Cryptococcosis is listed as a "rare disease" by the Office of Rare Diseases (ORD) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). This means that Cryptococcosis, or a subtype of Cryptococcosis, affects less than 200,000 people in the US population.
Source - National Institutes of Health (NIH)

Ophanet, a consortium of European partners, currently defines a condition rare when it affects 1 person per 2,000. They list Cryptococcosis as a "rare disease".
Source - Orphanet