Systemic Inflammatory Response Syndrome (SIRS), non-acute type (also known as Chronic Inflammatory Response Syndrome [CIRS] or mold-related illness occurs when individuals are exposed to mold or other biotoxins, often in water-damaged environments. This exposure can lead to a wide range of medical symptoms affecting various organ systems in the body. SIRS is characterized by excessive inflammation throughout the body, including the brain. Diagnosis of SIRS involves a combination of exposure history, symptoms, laboratory tests, and clinical improvement criteria. Studies have shown associations between SIRS and neuropsychiatric symptoms including, cognitive impairment, fatigue, movement disorders, and pain.

 

Neurophysiological and brain imaging measures, including MRI, also have revealed abnormalities in SIRS patients' brains that may be related to immune hyperreactivity.   Multiple studies have demonstrated abnormal enlargement in several regions of the brains of SIRS patients.  Additionally, untreated SIRS patients tend to exhibit more abnormal enlargement as compared to treated individuals, suggesting that treatment may lead to normalization of brain volume.  Our NeuroGage and NeuroQuant brain volume analyses of hundreds of SIRS patients generally support these research findings.