CIRS diagnosis is long-searched-for answer
Haunted for years by vague, mysterious, chronic health ailments.
A mental health diagnosis and anti-depressant prescription that contained a kernel of truth – but were not the end-all.
Finally, this past March, a real answer to a list of frightening medical symptoms. And, it came just one day before his 33rd birthday.
All of this followed by a sigh of measured relief.
That has been the roller-coaster life of Marshall Wall of Denver, Colorado, formerly of Mountain Lake; a young man whose mystery illness health questions have punctuated his life’s road. For a long, long time, he was in search of an answer – a root cause to his ailments.
Two years after Marshall moved to Colorado – summer 2012 – he went to see a doctor after battling with fatigue and joint pain. At that time, it was determined by his physician that he suffered from Lyme Disease transmitted by a tick – and probably had been affected by it since high school. Lyme Disease is caused by a sprial-shaped bacteria (Borrelia burgdorferi) and infection with the bacteria alone can lead to early symptoms such as severe headaches, debilitating fatigue, joint pain, and skin rashes – while long-term symptoms can lead to problems related to the central nervous system, including the brain, as well as the heart, joints and other musculoskeletal problems.
As Marshall was nearing the tail-end of his treatment for that disease, he was prescribed strong dosages of medication. For several months that course of action produced noticeable improvements.
“But, then – he crashed,” states Kristi, Marshall’s wife since December 2014 – and who has been by his side as he kept getting sicker and sicker – and in searching for the cause. “He had a new scary cluster of symptoms. It was neurological; his cognitive skills slid.”
“I had brain fog, joint pain not tied to an injury, food allergies, unexplained fatigue. It was the brain fog that was most frightening thing. It got to the point that I couldn’t sit down and read a book,” Marshall lays out.
“Not even a children’s book,” interjects Kristi.
The couple’s friends suggested getting tested for CIRS, an acronym for Chronic Inflammatory Response Syndrome. Explains Marshall, “CIRS is a genetic defect in innate immune systems; it creates immune system confusion.
“CIRS needs a ‘trigger’ – a stressor – to activate the bad gene – such as a concussion, a stressful or emotional situation – or, in my case, the treatment of Lyme Disease. The inflammatory markers that characterize CIRS can be measured via testing.”
A string of 15 doctors – medical, osteopathic, chiropractic, naturopathic, holistic – had been seen before the couple even heard of CIRS.
Research into CIRS is relatively new, led by practice-based studies done by family physician-researcher Ritchie Shoemaker. In a series of studies going back to 1998, Shoemaker, based in the rural coastal town of Pocomoke, Maryland, linked an illness to a toxin produced by a fish-killing dinoflagellate known as Pfiesteria. When humans eat finfish contaminated with the toxin, they developed severe gastrointestinal and neurological symptoms.
Shoemaker developed an increasingly thorough description of an illness caused by poor clearance of biotoxins produced by certain dinoflagellates, algae and molds found in water-damaged buildings.
As Marshall emphasizes, “CIRS is an illness – a biotoxin illness that potentially affects 25% of the people in the United States – it is not an allergy. It is an acute and chronic systemic inflammation within the body caused by an immune system that has actually gone haywire. For me, it feels like I am always fighting a bout with the flu.”
Rough estimates for the number of Americans affected by CIRS of one type or another range between 10 and 20 million. And that number is expected to grow because the syndrome is linked to chemical-induced environmental changes that cause more toxins to be formed within the body as a response to threats posed by man-made chemicals.
Shoemaker speculates that the neuroimmune, vascular, and endocrine dynamics present in CIRS may play roles in other forms of chronic illnesses, including chronic fatigue syndrome, firbromyalgia, multiple sclerosis, depression, stress, allergy, post-traumatic stress disorder, irritable bowel syndrome and attention deficit disorder.
CIRS sufferers have a genetic susceptibility to develop this illness based on their immune response genes (HLA–DR). The inflammation that makes them ill comes from within – due to an assault by their own unregulated innate immune system responses. These abnormalities do not self-heal, their severity does not abate – and will probably increase – and will keep on causing illnesses from blood- and tissue- based inflammation as well as changes in the regulation of fundamental genomic activity.
At the core of why one person becomes ill from this exposure – and another doesn’t – is their gene susceptibility (or predisposition) – what is built into their own individual DNA. Every person’s innate immune system is personal and genetically coded – thus, it works differently for each of us. When the body is faced with a foreign substance, it immediately begins to process that substance – recognize it, determine if it is good or bad – a friend or a foe – and then throw it into the antigen presenting machinery that will normally generate an effective antibody response. If the body determines the substance is a foe, it will develop antibodies to bind these substances, called antigens. The antibodies of a non-susceptible person will target the antigen, and clear it out fast. But, those acquired immune responses just don’t happen in CIRS patients.
CIRS can be categorized based on the source of biotoxin. These include:
+ Neurotoxin-producing molds present in water-damaged buildings – creating mold sickness. These buildings host fungi, bacteria, mycobacteria, and actinomycetes as a result of construction defects like inappropriate ventilation, faulty construction of crawl spaces, inadequate building design, flat roofs, fake stucco cladding without adequate caulking, basements exposed to saturated ground water conditions, not correcting water leaks and more.
+ Neurotoxins in fatty tissues commonly left behind after anti-infective treatment for tickborne infections.
+ Pfiesteria or Ciguatera neurotoxins produced by dinoflagellates.
+ Cylindro or Microcystis neurotoxins produced by blue-green algae.
And Marshall was affected by two of those biotoxin categories – his treatment for Lyme Disease and mold sickness from living in a water-damaged apartment. Add the genetic markers discovered during testing – and it was a diagnosis trifecta for CIRS.
The most common signs and symptoms of CIRS include:
+ Fatigue, weakness.
+ Post-exercise malaise.
+ Memory problems, difficulties with concentration.
+ Disorientation and confusion.
+ Headaches.
+ Vertigio, lightheadedness.
+ Muscle aches, cramping, joint painats without inflammatory arthritis.
+ Hypersensitivity to bright light, blurred vision, burning or red eyes, tearing.
+ Cough, asthma-like illness, shortness of breath chronic sinus congestion.
+ Air hunger or unusual shortness of breath at rest.
+ Chronic abdominal problems including nausea, cramping, diarrhea.
+ A propensity to experience static shocks.
Of course, it takes more than a set of subjective symptoms and non-specific signs to positively diagnose CIRS. It takes genetic testing based and CIRS-specific inflammatory markers.
Surviving mold and other biotoxins
“‘Surviving’ begins with knowing what’s wrong and developing a plan to defeat the ‘friendly fire’ that comes from our own innate immune system,” explains Marshall. “As well, having the right plan means being patient, because the treatment process is step-by-step and doesn’t allow for the skipping of steps. Living this plan also demands attention and detail. It’s easier for me to list the 10-12 foods I can eat over those foods I can’t. Sugar is a no-go for many reasons, as are processed foods or those prepared with preservatives.”
Marshall and Kristi are diligently taking the steps necessary so that his illness can be managed – stopping exposure to biotoxins that will affect him in their home and with their diet. “Fortunately,” remarks Marshall, “I am not as sensitive as some of those who are in our CIRS support group. I am not bed-ridden like some. That is fortunate, but my doctor said he was amazed that I was still able to work as a security officer. According to my labs, I am still very sick.”
While the couple continues the hard work of getting Marshall healthy, they also want to encourage people who have a cluster of symptoms that have no root cause to keep pushing to get to a conclusion that helps make them well.
“It is a challenge, but, in the end, it will be worth it to have your life back,” remarks Marshall.
