Mold-related illness, also known as Chronic Inflammatory Response Syndrome [CIRS] 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. Mold-related illness is characterized by excessive inflammation throughout the body, including the brain. Diagnosis of mold-related illness involves a combination of exposure history, symptoms, laboratory tests, and clinical improvement criteria. Studies have shown associations between mold-related illness and neuropsychiatric symptoms including, cognitive impairment, fatigue, movement disorders, and pain.

 

Neurophysiological and brain imaging measures, including MRI, also have revealed abnormalities in mold patients' brains that may be related to immune hyperreactivity.   Multiple studies have demonstrated abnormal enlargement in several regions of the brains of mold patients.  Additionally, untreated patients with mold-related illness 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 mold patients generally support these research findings.