A man who lost his hair, eyebrows, numbness, and a suspected heart attack is calling for a national inquiry into mould disease after doctors took five years to diagnose him.
Mark Macduffie has the rare disease Toxic Mould Syndrome, but he went through a world of pain before he realised deadly mould was to blame.
The bank executive lost all the hair on his body, required spinal surgery and was treated for a suspected heart attack before doctors finally realised the problem.
Mark Macduffie (pictured) has the rare disease Chronic Inflammatory Response Syndrome, but he went through a world of pain before he realised deadly mould was to blame.
The bank executive (pictured with his wife) lost all the hair on his body, required spinal surgery and was treated for a suspected heart attack before doctors finally realised the problem.
Mr Macduffie told Nine Network his ‘testosterone levels were on the floor’ and his ‘estrogen levels were four or five times what they should be’ for his age.
‘My doctor at the time reflected that it was like I was going through menopause,’ he said.
‘I couldn’t feel my arm, I couldn’t feel my face. Within six months I was almost completely bald.’
He told Nine Network his ‘testosterone levels were on the floor’ and his ‘estrogen levels were four or five times what they should be’. He is pictured with his wife Manon
He then suffered violent chest pain and was treated by doctors for a suspected heart attack, according to Nine.
It was only then that doctors did further tests and diagnosed him with Chronic Inflammatory Response Syndrome, otherwise known as toxic mould syndrome.
He has now had to move to regional city Byron Bay after being exposed to mould in Sydney’s Eastern suburbs.
Mr Macduffie has now had to move to regional city Byron Bay after being exposed to mould in Sydney’s Eastern suburbs. He is pictured at the Sydney Cricket Ground.
The 42-year-old, who is married, said he had no idea there was mould in his Sydney apartment.
‘There was absolutely no sign of damp or mould damage, it’s an invisible bacteria,’ he said.
Lucy Wicks, the Federal MP for Robertson in New South Wales, also suffers the same disease and is calling for a parliamentary inquiry, according to the Daily Telegraph.
‘Every time I would go to a building, I would get sick,’ she told the publication.
Mr Macduffie said he would support the inquiry to improve awareness on the disease.