Mold allergies cause the bulk of health symptoms in people who inhale black mold spores. Their bodies mistake mold allergens for more harmful bacteria and send chemicals, including histamines, into the bloodstream to neutralize them. Histamines cause the hay-fever-like side effects of inflammation that allergic reactions to both pollen and mold share. In the short term, these affect the eyes, skin and upper respiratory system. In the long term, high-level mold exposure can affect the bronchi and lungs with severe symptoms and serious consequences.
Conjunctivitis Symptoms
As the Environmental Protection Agency says that eyes that are irritated by mold exposure may show redness, a sign of allergic conjunctivitis, an inflammation of the eyes. Additional eye health symptoms include itching, swelling and fluid production. Conjunctivitis problems arise when inhaled mold allergens raise histamine levels that affect the mucous membranes of the eyes, says the University of Maryland Medical Center. Swollen eyelids and watery eyes may result.
Dermatitis Symptoms
The EPA also includes allergic contact dermatitis as a risk to sensitive individuals from household mold exposure. Touching mildewed upholstery or clearing moldy items out of basements can provoke this allergic attack on the skin. Dermatitis symptoms may have a delayed onset. They include skin that becomes dry, red and itchy from inflammation, the University of Maryland Medical Center says. This rash may swell and form painful bumps or oozing blisters.
Rhinitis Symptoms
Black mold can cause allergic rhinitis, which affects the nose, throat and sinuses when patients inhale airborne reproductive spores. The University of Maryland Medical Center includes runny and stuffy nose, coughing and sneezing among these health symptoms of mold exposure. Unlike allergies to pollen, mold allergies can produce rhinitis symptoms in any season.
Asthma Symptoms
Asthma breathing symptoms can be triggered by allergens, including black mold. The EPA says that people with both mold allergies and asthma may experience sudden attacks of respiratory problems when mold taints indoor air quality. Signs of asthma include coughing, shortness of breath and wheezing due to airway obstructions. The University of Maryland Medical Center says that emergency symptoms of sweating or confusion may require quick-relief asthma medication or a doctor's care.
Pneumonitis Symptoms
Hypersensitivity pneumonitis occurs after lengthy contact with black mold, often in an occupational setting. Health symptoms include fever or chills, coughing and shortness of breath that come on several hours after re-exposure to the moldy environment. If exposure and the condition persist, the University of Maryland Medical Center says, permanent lung damage may be indicated by frequent breathlessness, low appetite and a drop in normal weight.
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