Systematic Candidiasis

Candidiasis, a fungal infection caused by the fungus Candida, is a fatal disease that most commonly affects people with HIV. Being diagnosed with Candidiasis is read as a sign of deteriorating HIV infection….the disease is often recurring, causing progressive decline in health and ultimately leading to the death of the patient. The areas most affected by this disease are the mouth and the vagina. Vaginal yeast infection is a very lethal disease for women. Other than these places, infection can also occur on the skin, subsequently spreading to the entire body, but this is a rare condition.

The symptoms of this disease include great discomfort in the affected areas, inflammation and whitish discharge from the vagina. If the infection does not clear up in a few days, its best to consult a doctor and conduct a detailed diagnosis and tests. Since the symptoms of such infection in its initial stages can often be mixed up with common bacterial infection…people have a tendency to ignore it. For example, a patient having esophageal infection displays the same symptoms of the patient suffering from candidiasis. Its only when an endoscopy is conducted that the doctor gets to know what the actual disease is. So it’s always better to find out the cause of the infection before it’s too late.

Interestingly, the fungus causing candidiasis commonly occurs, albeit in small quantities, in the mouth, throat and vagina. But the beneficial bacteria present in the skin keep it from increasing its territory. The main causal factor for candidiasis is a weak immune system, which makes the fungus expand easily. Also, the physical stress caused by chemotherapy weakens the immune system so much that the disease often becomes chronic and each time it recurs it becomes more painful. There are also other factors like mineral deficiencies but the cumulative factor is always the weakening of the immune system which aggravates the condition.

One of the many reasons why Candidiasis is so dangerous is that it can’t be diagnosed easily. The source of infection may be external, like the catheter, or internal, for example the affected organs. Blood tests seldom reveal the infection since the fungus is either rarely present in blood, or has a fleeting presence. It is very important not to let the disease recur after the first time, since the chances are that it can get more fatal the next time. Some of the common medicines used to temporarily arrest this condition of candidiasis are nizoral and diflucan. Both can be taken at meal times for a period of two to three weeks or till the infection clears. However, doctors are still divided in their opinion about which drug is better. The popular opinions are that the treatment should be started with the milder medicine ketaconazole or nizoral and then, if the symptoms still persist, move on the stronger fluconazole or diflucan.