CVD And Mold: A Silent Killer

The connection between cardiovascular disease (CVD) and cardiovascular health is known, but in my experience, it is underdiscussed. Perhaps it is because it is unrecognized by those focused on a single health problem, or perhaps the impacts of mold exposure are too often swept under the rug of general CVD symptoms and, therefore, are more easily dismissed by the medical system as unrelated. However, exposure to mold and mildew can silently impact one’s general health and heart function.

According to my research, mold and mildew are more common in wetter, more humid climates, especially near sea level or in water-adjacent areas. While mold can be found everywhere, it is in these areas of the world where it is particularly important to be vigilant if one has heart or lung complications.

The article, Adverse Health Effects of Indoor Moulds, by Luke Curtis MS, CIH, et al. discusses how fungi can have a diverse impact on multiple organs and drastically impact the health of the person exposed, especially in an indoor setting. This is because, “In recent years, public attention has become increasingly focused on the very real problem of mould (fungi) inside both home and workplace and on the very real dangers posed by such mould exposure to human health” (Curtis et al. 2004). As such, “indoor airborne mould exposure frequently causes adverse human health effects with injury to and dysfunction of multiple organs and systems including: 1) respiratory, 2) nervous, 3) immune, 4) haematological systems and 5) the skin. Indoor mould is also a common cause of life-threatening systemic infections in immunocompromised patients” (Curtis et al. 2004). It can cause a variety of symptoms, including fatigue, rhinitis, memory loss, neuropsychiatric problems, respiratory problems, fibromyalgia, irritable bowel syndrome, vasculitis, and angio-oedema, among others (Curtis et al. 2004). So, it is clear from these results that mold, or mould, or fungi can affect the overall health of an individual exposed to them, particularly indoors.

Now, what does this mean from a specific heart-based context? The article, “High Cholesterol Levels And Chronic Exposure To Toxigenic Molds In Damp Buildings: A High Risk For Cardiovascular Diseases And Stroke,” by Anyanwu et al. concluded that, “based on the findings in the literature and considering the structural disposition of cholesterol that has mechanistically functional affinity to that of mycotoxin, it is predicted that the abnormal cholesterol levels in individuals presenting with chronic toxigenic mold exposures might be related to adverse interaction between cholesterol and mycotoxins,” (Anyanwu, Ehiri, and Kanu 2007). While this article was written in 2007, and was far from clearly conclusive, it noted that, “if the prediction is confirmed, then, high cholesterol levels in individuals with chronic exposures to toxigenic molds in damp buildings may lead to a high risk for cardiovascular diseases and stroke” (Anyanwu, Ehiri, and Kanu 2007). Over time, further studies on this topic continued to tighten the link between cardiovascular disease and mold exposure.

Another article, “Importance of Housing and Cardiovascular Health and Well-Being: A Scientific Statement From the American Heart Association” by Sims et. al. published in 2020, provides a more modern perspective on how, “recently, several studies have evaluated the impact of interventions or remediation to evaluate the potential benefit of improving housing conditions. A 2013 systematic review of studies focusing on warmth and energy efficiency interventions, for example, concluded that investing in better thermal comfort can improve general health, respiratory health, and mental health. Improving housing thermal quality by reducing mold and dampness and producing a comfortable temperature have been shown to reduce systolic and diastolic blood pressures” (Sims et al. 2020). As such, a variety of health concerns are suspected to be impacted by mold, including symptoms like blood pressure, which are considered to be directly associated with cardiovascular disease. Therefore, environmental factors such as housing are “a major social determinant of cardiovascular health and well-being. This statement summarizes research that highlights important pathways by which dimensions of housing affect cardiovascular health and general well-being” (Sims et al. 2020). Therefore, a cleaner, specifically less moldy environment, especially a living environment, is better for one’s cardiovascular health.

Personally, I unknowingly found myself in a situation where I experienced the effects of mold for three years.

The day I moved into my apartment, I initially noticed a “weird smell,” but couldn’t name it. My family and friends said I was making it up and told me to “just clean it.” So I did. Top to bottom. Repeatedly. But the foul smell of rancid rot still remained. It began to drive me crazy to the point that I devised a method of cleaning with different types of cleaners and methods in the hope of finding one that would finally rid me of the odor and fix the problem, because I assumed I was inherently doing something wrong.

However, nothing worked, and three months later, I was in the hospital with symptoms of heart failure. The doctor asked if there were environmental factors like mold, but when I sat up to tell him about the smell, my family shushed me and said there was nothing wrong. Over time, my breathing grew more labored, and my cognitive abilities, along with my physical capabilities, continued to suffer. The illness was blamed on my “poor cleaning habits,” even though I cleaned all the time and was deemed to be my moral failure. I was told it was my fault, and that if I told anyone, they would blame me for it, too.

However, the symptoms only grew worse. I lost my appetite and drank water only when I remembered. I began to live in pure survival mode, and I needed to take more supplements for reasons my doctors were uncertain of, but it was assumed to be part of my deteriorating cardiovascular health. For some reason, I began to rapidly and easily become deficient in potassium and iron. I have high metabolism, but this was definitely odd. But still, they just said it was my moral failure and diagnosed me with depression because they didn’t believe me when I mentioned the smell I was trying desperately to clean.

In theory, I could have moved apartments, but if I was the problem, then leaving would do nothing to solve the problem. So, because no one believed me and I had no proof other than my own instincts, I had to trust everyone else around me instead of myself. This led to a continuing and deteriorating faith in myself and my own worth, which only caused me to further suffer because, in their interpretation, I was crazy and I deserved it because I was the cause of my family’s “inconvenience.”

And so, for three years, I continued to clean my apartment three times a week… then two… and as often as I was able. This turned a chore into an absolute necessity in a desperate search for air no one believed I needed. It took most of my energy; ultimately, cleaning only made it worse. I was convinced it was the cleaning solutions and methods I used, so I kept trying new ones and did everything I could to help myself regain my breath and cognitive ability. If I were to explain it, it was very much akin to someone clawing at a rope around their neck while being asked, “Why don’t you speak up?” and “What are you going to do with the rest of your life?” while struggling for one’s next breath.

Yet, whenever I brought up the smell, the cleaning, or anything about my situation, I could hear the eye rolls, even over the phone. Friends avoided me as people often do a sinking ship. The rancid stench was largely considered by my family and friends to be a result of my imagination and or, at worst, a testament to my deteriorating health, which was, therefore, of my own making and the natural disintegration of health as a result of my critical congenital heart disease.

I continued to use different types of cleaners but avoided ones for mold because I was assured over and over that there was no way the problem could be mold, because it obviously was just my heart condition. So I cleaned over and over, washed all my clothes over and over by hand and by machine, using all kinds of cleansers, scented candles, and soft cleaners because they were easier on my lungs. I did this because my lungs, and not my environment, were assumed to be the problem.

Basically, I was written out of my own story and dismissed as crazy because I was sick anyway and, therefore, not worth listening to.

For 3 years, this continued. My breathing grew more haggard with more frequent coughs, and my cognition and intellectual capabilities also largely suffered. But, despite this, I rallied as much as possible for class and work since I was certain there was something wrong with me that I could “fix.” In this framework, I was the problem and just hadn’t figured out how to “fix” myself or be “wanted” enough to be listened to and helped. I just hadn’t figured out the problem yet, but I was certain I would if I just kept trying.

While all this was going on, I finished my Master’s degree with a 1.4 GPA (3.8 GPA in the USA), but it came at a cost. After completing my thesis defense, my symptoms suddenly became significantly worse. I had been living on adreniline and hope that I would get better when it was completed… but of course I didn’t.

For the following six months, my movements, speaking, and cognition grew ever slower, but I still worked and tried even if I was suffacating… it was my fault so I had to handle it myself… according to the twisted logic of this framework I could not break free form.

That was until mid-December, when I called my repair guy again, and he investigated more deeply this time. As a result of a more thorough investigation, he found SO MUCH MOLD in the pipes of my apartment. The rancid and rotten stuff was packed into the showerhead, the sinks, the drains… all of which were part of the poor plumbing of the building and entirely not my fault!

This meant that I was right from the first day I moved in!

Luckily, I had planned a trip for the next day, so I went to the mountains and began adjusting my behavior to address and clean toxic mold from my belongings with mold-specific cleaner rather than treating myself and my illness as the inherent problem in this equation.

Thus, after washing my clothes repeatedly in a completely clean environment, I began to feel better. Turned out that I was actually in arrhythmia and cured it while I was in the mountains, thus supporting the theory that the mold in the apartment, which was also in my clothes, was causing arrhythmia and ultimately contributing to my illness.

I’ve been recovering all of January and am finally back on my feet. After three years, I am thinking clearly again and can finally write with the clarity and integrity I once had!

What actually happened was that my friends and family had already written me off. They knew I was ill and decided that it was easier to compare my illness to their convenience scale in order to determine the easiest explanation. This was done under the assumption that I must be lying to get attention, as if I were a giant child they needed to monitor because I had worn out my welcome by continuing to exist long past my long-since-expired date.

I’m not saying they were villains, though. I’m saying there is a major disconnect between the realities of those who deal with CVD and the desire to maintain the convenience of those who don’t have it. Reality is judged on either scale but basing one’s health on the convenience of others is not necessarily wise.

My point is that I survived but was severely impacted by my mold exposure, which led to neuroinflammation, liver damage, lung infections, and arrhythmia for years, but the entire time it was all written off as “just part of CVD.”

Therefore, while my situation with the mold is particularly unique, the potential for someone unknowingly living in a moldy building and having the symptoms blamed on their CVD is not. If you live in a damp environment and have CVD, don’t underestimate the possible impact of environmental factors such as mold. It is medically known to negatively affect overall health, including the cardiovascular system. So, theoretically, if you protect your environment, you protect your heart.

Has anyone else dealt with mold if you have CVD or chronic illness?

Comment below.

P.S. Are there any aspects of CVD health or pacemakers you’d like to know more about?

Feel free to email me at:

blairmueller28@gmail.com

Tune in next Wednesday and Friday for more!

Keep ticking, everybody!

Works Cited

Anyanwu, E, J Ehiri, and I Kanu. 2007. “High Cholesterol Levels and Chronic Exposure to Toxigenic Molds in Damp Buildings: A High Risk for Cardiovascular Diseases and Stroke.” The Internet Journal of Toxicology 3 (2). https://doi.org/10.5580/206.

Curtis, Luke, Allan Lieberman, Martha Stark, William Rea, and Marsha Vetter. 2004. “Adverse Health Effects of Indoor Moulds.” Journal of Australasian College of Nutritional & Environmental Medicine 23 (1): 3–8. https://web.archive.org/web/20170810221139id_/http://www.homeheroes.com/includes/iaq/indoor_moulds_health_effects.pdf.

Sims, Mario, Kiarri N. Kershaw, Khadijah Breathett, Elizabeth A. Jackson, Lisa M. Lewis, Mahasin S. Mujahid, and Shakira F. Suglia. 2020. “Importance of Housing and Cardiovascular Health and Well-Being: A Scientific Statement from the American Heart Association.” Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes 13 (8). https://doi.org/10.1161/hcq.0000000000000089.

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