What are the symptoms of cryptococcosis

The common symptoms of cryptococcosis are that it can easily lead to a decrease in the body's immunity, which can cause some pathogens to invade and cause blood circulation. Patients are prone to symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, intellectual impairment, or dizziness.

(1) The diameter of Cryptococcus neoformans present in the environment of pulmonary cryptococcosis is less than 10 μm. After being inhaled into the human body through the respiratory tract, once it is deposited in the respiratory tract, under the influence of higher carbon dioxide concentrations, it forms a clear polysaccharide capsule protective layer to antagonize the host's defense mechanism. In most healthy people, the infection can heal itself or the lesions are limited to the lungs. In immunocompromised patients, cryptococci can become active and cause severe lung infection and even hematogenous dissemination throughout the body. Symptoms include cough, chest pain, fatigue, low fever, weight loss, etc. There is often a small amount of mucus or blood in sputum, and pathogens can be found in the sputum. X-ray manifestations: The lesions are most common in the bilateral middle and lower lungs, but may also be unilateral or confined to a certain lobe. They may appear as isolated large spherical lesions or several nodular lesions with no obvious surrounding reaction, similar to a tumor; or may appear as diffuse miliary shadows; or as sheet-like infiltrative shadows. Some patients have cavitation.

(2) Patients with cryptococcosis of the central nervous system often complain of pain in the forehead, temporal region, or behind the eyeballs, which occurs intermittently and gradually worsens. The pain is often accompanied by fever and signs of meningeal irritation such as neck stiffness and a positive neck and leg lift test. If localized granuloma in the brain parenchyma occurs and simple space-occupying lesions appear, symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, mental retardation, coma, hemiplegia, blurred vision, vertigo, eye paralysis, nystagmus, and diplopia may occur. Mental disturbances can be significant. Epileptic seizures may also occur. This disease often occurs in AIDS patients and is one of the common causes of death.

(3) Mucocutaneous Cryptococcal Disease Cryptococcal skin infections are most common in the head and neck area and are often caused by the spread of the primary lesion. The rash appears as papules, acne-like pustules or abscesses that are easy to ulcerate. Some HIV-infected people will develop molluscum contagiosum-like lesions. Primary skin lesions are rare and present as isolated whitlows, and the diagnosis can only be confirmed based on a clear history of implantation and the culture of cryptococci from the suspected implant. Some patients may also present with nodular, granulomatous or ulcerative lesions due to mucosal involvement. （