How Is Oral Thrush Caused?

Oral thrush (or oral Candidiasis) is a yeast infection which produces symptoms in the mouth, the palate and the tongue areas. Sometimes the throat may be involved as well and in more serious cases the infection can spread down to the oesophagus.

Oral thrush symptoms show as thick, white patches on the skin and the under-surface is red and inflamed. In a baby, these patches sometimes look like milk curds but cannot be wiped away as easily as milk can.

Oral thrush can be painful and makes it difficult to eat, swallow or suck. If this happens then the person may become dehydrated and require hospitalisation to re-establish fluid levels. This is particularly problemtic in the very old and the very young.

If a person with thrush has problems swallowing and/develops chest pain. They may have developed an oesophageal infection. This is a rare but serious condition and systemic anti-fungal medications are necessary for treatment. These are usually prescribed and supervised by a doctor.

Oral thrush is common in babies. In addition to the distinctive lesions, infants can become irritable and may have trouble feeding. Usually treatment is NOT needed as it usually gets better on its own within 2 weeks. However as described above if baby is not sucking it is important to consult your doctor or midwife.

When babies get oral thrush it can be transmitted during breast-feeding to and from the breast and the infant's mouth repeatedly, so it is important if treatment is required to treat both mum and baby with prescribed medications or natural remedies. Ensure whatever you use is safe for baby.

Oral thrush usually occurs in adults when the immune system is weakened by

- Being in poor health - Being very old - Taking steroids - Taking antibiotics over a long time - Being diabetic in poor control with high blood sugars - Being on immune suppressant drugs or chemotherapy - Having HIV or AIDs - Having poorly fitting dentures - May be transmitted during oral sex with an infected partner

Oral thrush is most often caused by a yeast called Candida albicans which lives normally in the mouth and other parts of the body as part of the normal flora in 80-90% of the population. The overgrowth of yeast is usually kept in check by your immune system and other types of normal flora that also normally live in the mouth. Candida albicans is an opportunistic pathogen and infection occurs when conditions become favourable for the yeast to overgrow and cause signs of infection.

The diagnosis of oral thrush is usually based on clinical symptoms which are very typical. If the diagnosis is not clear the doctor or midwife may take a swab and send it to the laboratory for examination under the microscope and for culture onto specific agars. An endoscopy may be required to confirm oesphageal infections, particularly if the patient is unable to swollow.

The drugs used to treat an oral yeast infection (oral Candidiasis) come as topical treatments available as mouth rinses or lozenges. Probiotics using Saccharomyces is often recommended as a natural remedy for oral thrush. But remember systemic drugs are required to treat oesphageal yeast infection.

Oral thrush is a relatively common form of yeast infection in both adults and babies. It may go away without treatment or it may progress in some circumstances to the more severe oesophageal form. The important thing to prevent oral thrush and to cure the symptoms is knowledge. Understanding what causes yeast infections and how to cure them using both medical preparations and natural products is the key to controlling this embarrassing disease.

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