What is candidiasis?

Since ancient times, many diseases have plagued people. Today I want to talk about candidiasis, which is a gynecological disease that troubles many women. Its incidence rate is second only to bacterial vaginosis. What is it? What is the cause? What are the symptoms in daily life? Many people may not know this, it doesn’t matter, let’s take a look at the specific situation.

Candidal vaginitis, also known as fungal vaginitis, is caused by Candida infection and is more common in young girls, pregnant women, diabetic patients, and postmenopausal patients who have been treated with large doses of estrogen.

Causes:

The main cause of the disease is vaginal flora imbalance. It can also be seen through sexual contact, contaminated clothing and utensils, and unsterilized sanitary napkins, toilet paper, and panty liners.

The most important genus in humans is Candida albicans. 80% to 90% of fungal vaginal infections are caused by Candida albicans, and the rest are caused by other Candida and Torulopsis. Therefore, fungal vaginitis is actually Candida vaginitis or vaginal candidiasis. Candida is usually a putrefactive parasite that can live in the skin, mucous membranes, digestive tract or other organs of the normal human body, and exists in the vagina and is often asymptomatic. When vaginal glycogen increases, acidity rises, or when the body's resistance decreases, it can become a cause of disease. Long-term use of broad-spectrum antibiotics and corticosteroids can greatly increase fungal infections. Because the above two drugs can cause imbalance of the body's flora, change the mutual restraint relationship between microorganisms in the vagina, and reduce the ability to resist infection. In addition, vitamin deficiency (vitamin B complex), severe infectious diseases, and other wasting diseases can all serve as favorable conditions for the growth of Candida albicans. During pregnancy, the glycogen content of vaginal epithelial cells increases, the acidity of the vagina increases, and the renal glucose threshold of pregnant women decreases. Gestational diabetes is common, and the sugar content in urine increases, which promotes the growth and reproduction of Candida albicans.

Clinical manifestations:

The most common symptoms of candidal infection are excessive vaginal discharge, burning and itching of the vulva and vagina, exogenous dysuria, and geographic erythema of the vulva. Typical leucorrhea is curd-like or bean curd-like, the vaginal mucosa is highly red and swollen, and white thrush-like plaques can be seen attached, which are easy to peel off. Underneath is an eroded base of damaged mucosa, or shallow ulcers may form. In severe cases, ecchymosis may remain. However, not all leucorrhea has the above typical characteristics. It can range from watery to curd-like leucorrhea. Some are completely thin and clear serous exudates, which often contain white flakes. The itching symptoms of candidal vaginitis during pregnancy are particularly severe, and may even cause restlessness and abnormal pain. There may also be symptoms such as frequent urination, painful urination, and pain during sexual intercourse. In addition, about 10% of women and 30% of pregnant women are carriers of mold but have no clinical symptoms.

The above is my introduction to what candidiasis vaginitis is. I believe everyone has a certain understanding of candidiasis vaginitis. In daily life, for the sake of our health, we must pay attention to the cleanliness of our private parts. We can't ignore it if there are no corresponding manifestations.