Cryptococcosis was rare before the 1970s which saw an increase in at-risk groups such as people with organ transplant or on immunosuppressant medications. The number of cases escalated in the mid-1980s with over 80% occurring in people with HIV/AIDS. Pigeon breeders (or fanciers) are known to have a high incidence of cryptococcal infections including PCC due to Cryptococcus association with pigeon droppings. Classification
Cryptococcus is generally classified according to how it is acquired and its site. It typically begins in the lungs before spreading to other parts of the body, particularly the brain and nervous system. The skin type is less common. Signs and symptoms
Cough, shortness of breath, chest pain and fever are seen when the lungs are infected, appearing like a pneumonia. There may also be feeling of tiredness. When the brain is infected, symptoms include headache, fever, neck pain, nausea and vomiting, light sensitivity, confusion or changes in behaviour. It can also affect other parts of the body including skin, eyes, bones and prostate. In the skin, it may appear as several fluid-filled nodules with dead tissue. Depending on the site of infection, other features may include loss of vision, blurred vision, inability to move an eye and memory loss.Symptom onset is often sudden when lungs are infected and gradual over several weeks when the central nervous system is affected. Cause
Cryptococcosis is a common opportunistic infection for AIDS, and is particularly common among people living with AIDS in Africa.
Lipomas growing in internal organs can be more dangerous; for example, lipomas in the gastrointestinal tract can cause bleeding, ulceration, and painful obstructions (so-called "malignant by location", despite being a benign growth histologically). Malignant transformation of lipomas into liposarcomas is very rare, and most liposarcomas are not produced from pre-existing benign lesions. A few cases of malignant transformation have been described for bone and kidney lipomas, but it is possible that these few reported cases were well-differentiated liposarcomas in which the subtle malignant characteristics were missed when the tumor was first examined. Deep lipomas have a greater tendency to recur than superficial lipomas because complete surgical removal of deep lipomas is not always possible.The presence of multiple lipomas, lipomatosis, is more commonly encountered in men. Some superficial lipomas can extend into deep fascia and may complicate excision. Liposarcoma is found in 1% of lipomas and is more likely to occur in lesions of the lower extremities, shoulders, and retroperitoneal areas. Other risk factors for liposarcoma include large size (>5 cm), associated with  calcification, rapid growth, and/or invasion into nearby structures or through fascia into muscle tissue. Epidemiology
Around 2% of the general population has a lipoma. These tumors can occur at any age, but are most common in middle age, often appearing in people from 40 to 60 years old.