Candidiasis In Men - Causes, Symptoms And Treatment
Candidiasis in the genitals is a very common infection in women but can also affect men, be they children or adults.
Candidiasis in man manifested as a balanitis, which is inflammation of the glans. If there is also inflammation of the foreskin, the infection is called Candida balanoposthitis.
Candida, whose most common species is Candida albicans is a fungus that can be found colonizing the skin, mouth, genitals or gastrointestinal tract of up to 80% of the population. In normal situations, the mere presence of Candida in the body poses no danger. Our immune system is quite effective in controlling the population of this fungus, so that it exists only in small quantities in our skin.
The problem arises when the fungus Candida our immune system is weakened and / or when there is a sudden change in the natural bacterial flora of our skin, as in cases of prolonged use of antibiotics. These changes make our body a more favorable environment for the proliferation of Candida, which goes to play without limitations and can infest the skin and invade deeper tissues, causing an intense inflammatory reaction. Candidiasis is the term we use to describe the inflammation caused by the fungus Candida invasion. Having Candida in asymptomatic skin is therefore have different candidiasis disease.
Candidiasis can affect many different organs, the skin, the genitals and mouth the most common sites. In more severe cases, usually in patients with severe immunosuppression, Candida can affect internal organs such as esophagus, larynx, kidney, heart and to the central nervous system.
In the vast majority of cases, candidiasis is not a disease acquired through other people. Candidiasis arises because your body loses the ability to control the population growth of Candida that normally lives on the skin. This explains why babies, nuns and women without recent sexual activity can develop thrush in the genital area.
In some cases, however, especially in the penile candidiasis, Candida can be transmitted sexually. If the woman's vagina is colonized with large populations of Candida, during sex a lot of the fungus can be transferred to the penis, increasing the risk of balanitis. The development or not of balanitis Candida will depend on the human immune system's ability to deal with this large population of newly acquired fungus.
So do not just have the Candida genitals, it is necessary that the fungus feel free to multiply. Some factors increase the risk of candidiasis, they are:
As mentioned above, penile infection by Candida is usually manifested as a balanitis or balanoposthitis, which is infection of the glans and foreskin.
The most common symptoms of candidiasis in man are redness, swelling and pain in the glans. White plates, similar to those occurring in the tongue in oral candidiasis, are also common in the penis. Injuries can cause itching and there is often burning after sex. Also common is the emergence of small blisters, ulcers, wounds, skin peeling or purulent discharge from the urethra.
The diagnosis of candidiasis can be confirmed by scraping a small sample of the lesion, taken under a microscope allows the identification of yeasts of the Candida.
The treatment of candidiasis in people can be done with antifungal cream or ointment. The best choices are the 1% clotrimazole or miconazole 2%, 2 times daily for 1 to 3 weeks. A simpler option is Fluconazole, 150 mg tablet, taken as a single dose.
In some cases, penile candidiasis can be the primary symptom of diabetes mellitus settling. If the patient does not present any obvious risk factor for candidiasis, an assessment of your blood glucose should be evaluated.
