Mold can cause bodily infections

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Mold can cause bodily infections

Baltimore Examiner - Baltimore,MD

by Karl B. Hille, The Examiner

http://www.examiner.com/a758038~Mold_can_cause_bodily_infections.html

BALTIMORE - It can take your breath away.

Mold can have various adverse effects depending on the type, said

allergist Dr. Alvin Sanico, medical director of the Asthma Sinus

Allergy Program at Greater Baltimore Medical Center.

Spores can be toxic or provoke an allergic reaction or asthma

attack.

" Outdoors, molds grow in leaves on the ground. That's why in the

fall the counts go up, " he said. " Indoors, they can grow in any damp

areas, usually in basements where there has been flooding. "

For those with weakened immune systems, he said, mold spores can

take root in their bodies and cause infections of the lungs, skin or

even blood, but those cases are rare, Sanico said.

Mold does not affect most people, unless they have had a severe

exposure at some point, Sanico said.

Mold in the home can be treated using a weak bleach solution but may

require removing drywall or affected materials.

Dr. Kerxton provides the American Academy of Allergy Asthma

and Immunology with mold counts, but they are estimates.

" In this area, no one cares about mold counts, " the Baltimore

allergist said, and it takes more than four hours to count the much

smaller spores.

For Thursday's report, he estimated 7,500 mold spore particles,

a " high " level.

There are thousands of varieties of mold, but only a few cause

allergic reactions, according to the Mayo Clinic Web site.

More than 80 percent of people with respiratory allergy symptoms are

sensitive to fungi, according to the Centers for Disease Control and

Prevention, and 93 percent of cases of chronic rhinosinusitis are

linked to fungus.

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