Dr. Gyula Prinz - Szent László Hospital of Budapest
What you need to know about candidiasis
CLINICAL COMMUNICATIONS MEDICINE -
VI. OUTPATIENT SPECIALIST CARE CONFERENCE 2000

Candidiasis can be a severe systemic disease that develops in the presence of predisposing factors or in certain clinical situations.

Systemic candidiasis is a serious life-threatening condition that develops in patients with reduced immunity or after major abdominal surgery, or in patients in intensive care following invasive procedures. In such cases, the pathogen can usually be isolated from the blood.

Nowadays, systemic candidiasis is considered by some authors to be a new epidemic.

The actual pathologies caused by candida are nothing new in everyday medical practice. Even Hippocrates and Galen knew about oral thrush. Some of the well-established pathologies affect the skin and skin appendages, others the mucous membranes. Invasive or systemic candidiasis occurs when there are appropriate predisposing factors. Candida sepsis in newborns, oral thrush and diaper dermatitis in infants, oropharyngeal candidiasis in prosthesis wearers, oesophagitis in patients with poor general health are not new. Indeed, more invasive (systemic) candidiasis is being detected than in the past, as the number of patients with reduced immunity is increasing. Amongst organ and bone marrow transplant recipients, patients with malignant haematological disease undergoing aggressive chemotherapy, intensive care unit patients, long-term intravascular cannula users, patients undergoing major abdominal surgery, HIV positive patients, the emergence of candidiasis and other mycoses is a major challenge. Vaginal candidiasis may recur in women with intact immunity, even in the absence of predisposing factors.

This condition is associated with many symptoms and complaints. Itching of various parts of the body, blurred vision, bleeding in the throat, nasal congestion, fatigue, lack of concentration, abdominal distention, carbohydrate hunger, tightness, diarrhoea, menstrual cramps, etc., can help the patient to find out what is wrong. This is also suggested by the popular literature, as 'conventional' doctors cannot find out what is behind the complaints. It is sufficient if, by taking stock of the relevant complaints, the patient realises what has been causing his complaints for many years. A positive Vega test, a Voll test or a biocrystal analysis can be of "help" in establishing the diagnosis. Some patients have or have had skin, nail or vaginal candidiasis or other fungal processes.

Patients with "new" candidiasis do suffer. The patients' malaise and abdominal complaints may be due to colon disease, irritable bowel syndrome or tumours. If anxiety predominates, this is exacerbated if it is explained by an infection that is said to be difficult to cure, which may flare up after years of abstinence diet, expensive antifungal treatment.