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What is Thrush?
Oral thrush is an infection of yeast fungus, Candida albicans, in the
mucous membranes of the mouth. Strictly speaking, thrush is only
a temporary infection in the oral cavity of babies. However, we
have for this purpose expanded the term to include Candida infections
occurring in the mouth and throat of adults, also known as Candidosis
or Moniliasis.
How do
you get oral thrush?
Candida is
present in the oral cavity of almost half of the population.
Everyone who wears dentures will have Candida, without
necessarily suffering any ill effects. Candida does not become a
problem until there is a change in the chemistry of the oral cavity
that favours Candida over the other micro-organisms that are present.
What are
the symptoms of oral thrush?
White,
cream-coloured, or yellow spots in the oral cavity. The spots are
slightly raised. There is normally no pain in the area underneath
the spots. If you scrape off these spots, they leave small wounds
that bleed slightly. In adults, thrush can cause an uncomfortable
burning sensation in the mouth and throat.
Who is at special risk?
- Newborn babies
- Denture users
- Adults with diabetes or
other metabolic disturbance
- People undergoing
antibiotic or chemotherapy treatment
- Drug users
- People with poor
nutrition
- People with an immune
deficiency
How is thrush treated?
First,
the condition that caused the thrush must be brought under
control. This might involve investing in new and better fitting
dentures, or adjusting diabetes treatment. For AIDS patients, it
is not always possible to correct the immune-deficiency and a course of
oral treatment using drugs called systemic fungicides will have to be
used.
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