You might believe you would know if you had mold in your home. You would notice a large, creepy patch of it in a closet or under a cabinet, or maybe you would suspect a problem after a major plumbing incident.
But actually, many cases of mold are discovered in houses where no one suspects a thing… Until a family member begins to experience concerning medical symptoms. After ruling out of a number of other causes, a physician might eventually suggest mold as a possible cause. And then a search of the home by a mold remediation professional uncovers the source of the illness.
Yes, this can happen even if your home has never flooded or experienced a major plumbing incident. That’s because moisture can collect in a number of ways, and once it’s established mold can really take over quickly. This often happens in hidden areas of your home, such as inside walls or under the flooring, where no one would casually observe the problem spreading.
If you or anyone in your home has experienced the following symptoms, mold could be a contributing factor in the illness:
- congestion
- runny nose
- sneezing
- wheezing
- coughing
- irritated eyes
- headaches
- sore throat
- skin rash
- irritation of the lungs
Mold-related illness can look a lot like an allergy attack. But you might suspect mold as the culprit if you’ve never had allergies before, or if this is the wrong time of year for your seasonal allergies. Also, an “allergy” attack that persists for weeks or months is more likely to originate from a cause within your home, rather than pollen or other types of allergies that come and go.
And finally, we want to caution you that mold-related illness can look mild in one person but become very serious in another family member. That’s because some people have underlying conditions, such as asthma, cystic fibrosis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder (COPD), or immune system disorders. These conditions can cause common illnesses to become much more severe, so mold is a considerable concern if one of your family members is at risk.
Of course, you should never attempt to diagnose a medical condition via a blog on the internet. If you do suspect mold-related illness, your first stop should be your family physician. And then give us a call right away, so that we can evaluate your home for mold and begin the mold remediation process if necessary.
