Yeast is present all over the human body. It is a small, in fact, microscopic fungi that survives well in moist and warm areas. Infection occurs when there are small nicks, cuts, or abrasions on the skin, especially in warm and moist areas such as the armpit. When yeast infection occurs in the mouth it is called thrush. Apart from thrush, other forms of yeast infection are nailbed infections, diaper rash, and vaginal infection.
Yeast infections treatment is successful in treating most of the yeast infection. There are a lot of medication for yeast infection that are effective in treating yeast infections. Over the counter medications are also available. However, before you start to treat yeast infection, you should take the advice of the doctor. There are two types of medications, azoles and polyene. Both work by leaking the yeast wall, allowing the yeast to leak which in turn kills them.
What one has to be careful about are systemic infections from yeast. These can occur in patients suffering from AIDS or diabetes or cancer patients undergoing aggressive therapy. People on strong antibiotics or those on steroids are also susceptible to yeast infections. Yeast infections can also occur from IV ports or similar instruments. In a systemic infection candida enters the bloodstream. This needs proper treatment including hospitalization. The doctor might give a course of anti yeast medication through the IV method. Pregnancy, sperm, and menstruation can also cause yeast infection.
The availability of the over the counter yeast infection medications should not deviate us from seeing a doctor. This recommendation becomes even stronger in the case of pregnant women, babies and elderly people. A cheesy white discharge from the vagina indicates the presence of yeast infection. Thrush is a condition in which yeast infection occurs in the mouth. A thick, lacy, white formation on a red base in the mouth or tongue is generally seen in an oral thrush. Dehydration is something that you should keep in mind while you are experiencing an oral thrush. This is because swallowing is made almost impossible in such cases. Hence, the patient tends to avoid eating and drinking. If anything like this happens, you should immediately contact the doctor.
If anything like diaper rash happens, makes sure you keep the area clean and dry. Also, changing the nappies frequently is advisable. Using a barrier cream will keep the infection away.
There are a wide variety of treatment options available to treat yeast infections. These include creams, lotions, pills, troches (lozenges), and vaginal suppositories. It is best to consult a doctor who will recommend a particular course of treatment after taking your individual condition into consideration. Most doctors recommend creams to be applied to the vagina for a vaginal infection and lozenges for thrush. Babies have fewer options than adults when it comes to thrush. Please do let your doctor know that you are pregnant if you are. Your treatment will vary accordingly.
In a majority of cases yeast infections disappear within a week or two. When they do not because of a compromised immune system, please do consult your doctor again to rule out systemic infections. You should also visit the doctor if you have abdominal pain, fever, chills, nausea or vomiting as these are all indications of a systemic infection. If thrush infection prolongs and interferes with eating and drinking then you might need aggressive treatment and hospitalization. That is, however, for the doctor to decide.
Every thing revolves around keeping your body clean and dry. This becomes important if you have nicks and cuts and abrasions. In case of a baby diaper rash, you need to keep the baby clean and dry. Also, it is recommended to use barrier cream and changing the nappies frequently. If you use dentures, then you should wash them and your mouth, both. If there happens to be a thrush in the baby, it might be a case that there is a yeast infection around the breasts of the nursing mother. Therefore, the doctor might also check them.
Those who have a weal immunity should be extra careful. This is because they are more venerable to systemic infection. In case you think that you have a systemic infection, then you should seek an immediate medical cure.
If the infection happens to recur time and again, it might point to some deadly diseases like AIDS. Hence, get a thorough medical diagnosis done.
Article by Sarah Lomas of RemedyForYeastInfection.com, a website with the best remedy for yeast infection information on the web.