Angioedema & POTS Linked to Hidden Mold

A 46-year-old woman had been experiencing a puzzling and progressive array of symptoms over the course of four years. She presented with facial swelling, angioedema, unintentional weight gain, dry nasal mucosa and epistaxis, and episodic dizziness. She also reported persistent fatigue, headaches, and shortness of breath with minimal exertion. Despite multiple medical evaluations, no unifying diagnosis emerged.

Over time, she developed blood pressure fluctuations and new-onset lower extremity swelling that seemed to wax and wane without clear triggers. She was treated with short courses of antihistamines, diuretics, and low-dose steroids, but none offered consistent relief. Her lightheadedness, especially when standing up quickly, was clinically attributed to POTS.

She sought multifaceted support with little to no benefit — dietary changes, hydration protocols, gentle exercise, and even limbic system retraining.

A visiting friend mentioned a musty smell in the kitchen and suggested the relatively new home be tested for mold. Professional testing revealed extensive mold growth in the walls behind the kitchen sink and behind the upper cabinets near the stove.

After five months in a new apartment, the patient still experienced intermittent epistaxis and under-eye swelling. She underwent mycotoxin testing through MyMycoLab. Her IgG antibody results showed significantly elevated levels across multiple mycotoxins. Her IgE antibodies showed evidence of mast cell activation.

The patient promptly moved out of the home to avoid exposure during remediation. Within days, the severity of her facial swelling improved and her lower extremity swelling lessened significantly. Her dizziness also began to improve.

Remediation took longer than expected, with new issues uncovered as the work progressed. Frustrated, the patient chose to sell the home.

She began treatment following Dr. Campbell’s paradigm. Within a few weeks, her blood pressure normalized. She noticed her thinking was clearer, her energy was returning, and she was sleeping more restfully. For the first time in years, she began to feel like herself again — her mood lifted and her sense of vitality returned.

This case highlights how mycotoxin exposure can present with symptoms that cross multiple specialties — cardiology (POTS, blood pressure fluctuations), immunology (angioedema, mast cell activation), and ENT (epistaxis, nasal dryness) — without a unifying diagnosis emerging. It is a textbook example of why the WHO calls mycotoxin illness “the Great Masquerader.”

Elevated IgE antibodies to mycotoxins can trigger mast cells to release histamine, heparin, and pro-inflammatory cytokines, leading to the kind of widespread, fluctuating symptoms this patient experienced.