Yeast Infection Symptoms

Learn how you could recognize them.

Depending on the location of the yeast infection the symptoms can vary. For women a vaginal yeast infection is typically accompanied by a white cheesy discharge that usually itches and irritates the vagina and surrounding tissues called the vulva. In severe infections there may be burning with urination or pain during sexual intercourse.

There are several different ways that yeast infection symptoms can develop in infants and adults. Thrush is another term for oral candidacies. This is when the tongue, palate or inside of the mouth have thick, white lacy patches on top of a red base.

When the white patches are wiped away with a blade or cotton-tipped applicator then the underlying tissue will probably bleed. It can be difficult and painful to eat when suffering from thrush and care should be taken that an individual doesn’t become dehydrated.

The organisms that cause yeast infections normally live on the skin but as the outer layers of the skin breakdown the overgrowth of the yeast is promoted. This is most likely to occur in areas where the environment is warm and moist such as diaper areas and skin folds. Skin infections that are superficial typically have a red flat rash that has sharp scalloped edges. Satellite lesions may appear nearby that are itchy or painful.

Various internal organs can be affected by candidal infections if people have weakened immune systems. This can cause pain or dysfunction of the organ. A yeast infection called esophagitis is typically found in 85% of people who have AIDS and it is usually found in the upper gastrointestinal systems. This infection extends down the mouth and esophagus to the stomach and is very similar to thrush. Painful ulcers can develop throughout the GI system which doesn’t allow food to be absorbed very well. People can easily become dehydrated with this condition.

You can become sick with or without fever if Candida gets into your bloodstream. Acute changes in mental function of behavior can result if Candida spreads into the brain.

You should seek medical care if you try a medication and it fails to improve your symptoms or the symptoms become worse. If an individuals has a weakened immune system then it is important to contact a doctor immediately after new symptoms or infections occur.

There are other conditions that can cause symptoms similar to yeast infections. In women vaginal discharge can be caused by gonorrhea, Chlamydia, trichomoniasis and bacterial vaginosis. If the discharge occurs for longer than a week a woman should contact her doctor.

If vaginal discharge is accompanied by fever, chills, nausea and vomiting or abdominal pain then a woman should go to the hospital. This can be from a serious problem such as kidney infections, appendicitis or pelvic inflammatory disease. Individuals with thrush should go to the hospital if they have trouble drinking liquids or eating over long periods of time so that more aggressive medications can be started and body fluids can be reestablished. However, most cases of Candidasis do not require hospital treatment. Although individuals with weakened immune systems may need to be hospitalized since they can develop more serious infections.

Related Article: Vaginal Yeast Infection