Valley Fever (Coccidioidomycosis)

Tutorial

for

Primary Care Professionals








Prepared by the



Valley Fever Center for Excellence







Sponsored by the



University of Arizona

and

Southern Arizona Veterans Administration Health Care System

Tucson, AZ



© Copyright 1998, 1999, 2000 Valley Fever Center for Excellence

All Rights Reserved

Coccidioidomycosis (Valley Fever)

Preface



In the southern deserts of Arizona and the central valley of California, Valley Fever is a familiar phrase to most residents. Specialists in Respiratory and Infectious Diseases are particularly familiar with the less frequent but more serious forms of the disease. In January 1996, the Valley Fever Center for Excellence established a hotline which physicians and others with questions about Valley Fever may call for information. From the questions received through the hotline, it became apparent that even though Valley Fever is a more commonly known disease, the infections that it causes are not fully understood. The nature of the calls illustrate a significant lack of awareness of the importance of early diagnosis and proper management of the primary infection. Early diagnosis of Valley Fever by primary care professionals can improve patient care by reducing patient anxiety, unneeded diagnostic tests, and unwarranted use of antibacterial agents. Moreover, serious complications requiring treatment might be identified sooner. Hence the need for this handbook.

The purposes of this monograph are two fold. First, it is intended to be a syllabus to accompany a tutorial on the primary care aspects of coccidioidomycosis organized by the Valley Fever Center for Excellence. The tutorial is a postgraduate medical education program designed to provide detailed training for primary care physicians and other practitioners for the recognition and management of the most common manifestations of Valley Fever. As a syllabus, it follows the general organizational pattern of the program although it is not strictly meant as lecture notes. Medical centers, health maintenance organizations, or other medical groups interested in bringing this program to their site for their clinicians can arrange to do so by contacting the Center at (520) 629-4777 or visiting the website at http://www.arl.arizona.edu/vfce. Second, this publication is designed to be a reference for the office shelf. The information contained within is not intended to be an exhaustive review of the disease. The information was selected for its relevance and usefulness to busy family practitioners, internists, and others dealing with patients in a primary care setting, especially within regions endemic for Coccidioides immitis.







John N Galgiani MD

Director, Valley Fever Center for Excellence

Preface 1


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