Even though oral thrush is able to affect any person, babies and older adults have more chances of experiencing it, because their immunity is reduced; in other individuals that have suppressed immune systems or some particular health conditions; or just persons that consume certain medicine. If you are healthy, then oral thrush shouldn't be a significant concern for you, but if you suffer from a weak immune system, the symptoms could become more severe and hard to manage. In this article we talk about the symptoms and causes of oral thrush and when to call our GP for fungal thrush in Costa del Sol.
What is oral thrush?
Oral thrush, that is also recognised after the name oral candidiasis, is a condition where the fungus Candida albicans gathers on the lining of the mouth. Although it's a normal organism located in your mouth, Candida can sometimes overgrow and cause unpleasant symptoms.
Oral thrush is characterized by creamy white lesions on the tongue or inner cheeks. Oral thrush could sometimes spread towards the roof of your mouth, the back of your throat, tonsils or gums.
Symptoms
Children and adults
At first, there are chances that you won't even notice oral thrush's symptoms. Its symptoms and signs include:
- Loss of taste
- Slight bleeding if you rub or scrape the lesions
- Slightly raised lesions that look like cottage cheese
- Pain under dentures, redness and irritation
- Soreness, burning or redness that could be severe enough to give you a hard time swallowing or eating
- Redness and cracking at the corners of your mouth
If you have any of the symptoms described above, call our GP for fungal thrush in Costa del Sol.
The lesions may progress downhill into your esophagus in extreme cases, which are generally associated with a weak immune system or cancer, due to HIV/AIDS. If this happens, you may have trouble swallowing, pain, or the sensation that food is constantly stuck inside your throat.
Infants and breast-feeding mothers
Infants could have a hard time being fed or they could be irritable and fussy, in addition to the noticeable white mouth lesions. During breast-feeding, there are chances that they spread the infection to the mom. The infection could then spread from the mother's breasts to the mouth of the newborn. These signs could appear in women that have infected breasts with candida:
- Deep stabbing pains within the breast
- Unusually sensitive, itchy or cracked nipples
- Painful nipples between feedings or unusual pain when breastfeeding
- Flaky or shiny skin around the areola
If your child is having any of the symptoms described above, call our GP for fungal thrush in Costa del Sol.
When to call our GP for fungal thrush in Costa del Sol
You should get rid of oral thrush in around 2 weeks if you have a strong immune system. Call our GP for fungal thrush in Costa del Sol if you are immunocompromised or have an underlying medical problem.
Here are some signs that could indicate a more serious problem:
- Thrush symptoms accomplished by other medical condition, such as HIV
- Thrush-like sores that you can't get rid of
- Having a painful or hard time swallowing
If you think your child experiences oral thrush, take them to the doctor if they:
- Experience bleeding sores inside the mouth
- Are dehydrated
- Behave or look very sick.
- Have not peed in more than 8 hours
- Got a dry mouth and dark urine
A Candida infection could be a sign of various diseases or health issues. Make an appointment with our doctor to discuss any other treatment options.