If you have a weakened (compromised) immune system — for example, from immunodeficiency disorders or medications that suppress your immune system — black mold exposure can also cause a fungal infection (mycosis) in your airways or other parts of your body.
Long-term exposure to black mold can cause chronic illness. With repeated inhalation of toxic trichothecenes (a type of mycotoxin), some people develop chronic inflammatory response syndrome (CIRS).
While many people become ill from exposure to water-damaged buildings and mold, most of these people's symptoms cease once they are removed from the exposure. For the 25% with the HLA-DR gene, the toxins remain in the body and trigger a chronic, systemic inflammatory response (5).
The latest research has found connections between long term exposure to mold and a diverse range of health problems for which we did not know the causes before. There are a variety of diseases and long term effects of black mold that are caused by fungi. Long Term Effects Include: Respiratory infections.
Chronic coughing and sneezing, irritation to the eyes, mucus membranes of the nose and throat, rashes, chronic fatigue and persistent headaches can all be symptomatic of black mold exposure or black mold poisoning.
In some cases, people may experience symptoms of mold sickness immediately after exposure, while others may not notice any effects for weeks or even months.
These symptoms usually first appear 2 to 9 hours after exposure and last for 1 to 3 days. Other affected persons have progressive shortness of breath and cough, as well as weight loss. Work-relatedness may only become apparent over long holidays if symptoms resolve and then recur on return to work.
Mold exposure can cause issues with concentration, judgment, and overall brain function. Luckily, memory loss caused by mold is often reversible once the mold is eliminated from a home. Alzheimer's researcher Dr. Amen found that memory loss from mold is often misdiagnosed as dementia or Alzheimer's.
A blood test, sometimes called the radioallergosorbent test, can measure your immune system's response to mold by measuring the amount of certain antibodies in your bloodstream known as immunoglobulin E (IgE) antibodies.
Allergic reactions to mold are common. They can be immediate or delayed. Molds can also cause asthma attacks in people with asthma who are allergic to mold. In addition, mold exposure can irritate the eyes, skin, nose, throat, and lungs of both mold-allergic and non-allergic people.
Other mental health conditions affected by black mold
Mold toxicity is believed to contribute to a wide spectrum of mental health symptoms, including brain fog, anxiety, or concentration difficulties. A study from 2013 found a link between mold toxicity and chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS).
Discovering Black Mold
Toxic mold exposure has also been linked to more serious, long-term effects like memory loss, insomnia, anxiety, depression, trouble concentrating, and confusion.
More than three decades of research show that mold exposure, particularly at home, can cause people to feel tired or develop chronic fatigue. It's due to mycotoxins, which are toxins produced by mold, decreasing oxygenation in the body, among other reactions that cause people to feel tired.
How long does it take most patients to detox/rebalance their systems? Some people get well very quickly (weeks) after removing the source of mold toxins, just by getting into a clean environment and avoiding re-exposure. Others can take over a year to recover fully.
Exposure to a large number of mold spores may cause allergic symptoms such as watery eyes, runny nose, sneezing, itching, coughing, wheezing, difficulty breathing, headache, and fatigue. Repeated exposure to mold can increase a person's sensitivity, causing more severe allergic reactions.
Can mold exposure cause autoimmune disorders? Increasingly, the answer to that question may be yes, or, at a minimum, it could worsen autoimmune disorders. Toxic mold can produce those poisonous mycotoxins that can harm the immune system.
Urine mycotoxin tests are ideal for testing yourself (and your family members) for mycotoxin exposure.
Testing for Mold Poisoning
The doctor will take a health assessment and health history, and will order blood testing. Antibodies in the patient's body will be checked for a reaction to mold and to other allergens and poisons. The severity of the reaction will also be determined.
Each person's body is affected by mold toxicity in different ways. Some experience constant migraines and headaches, shortness of breath, brain fog, fatigue or even depression. Since symptoms differ from person to person, they may not be quickly associated with mold exposure.
If you are dealing with symptoms from black mold exposure, your doctor might prescribe a nasal spray or rinse. Essentially, a solution of warm, distilled saline water can clear the spores and ease congestion.
Mold can cause health problems, especially allergies and asthma. But you probably don't have to worry about it leading to lung cancer.