Wednesday, July 8, 2009

Causes Of Thrush

What Thrush is


Thrush is caused by a yeast infection in your mouth. It is characterized by whiteness and itching. Oral thrush can occur when the natural organism balance in the body is compromised somehow. Imbalances can manifest in other areas of the body, like the intestines, but thrush may show up in the mouth just the same. Simply, you don't have to have an imbalance in your mouth to get thrush. Everyone's body is made up of both "good" and "bad" organisms, bacteria or other elements. Some enzymes, bacteria and organisms help with digestion. Without some of the good bacteria, like those found on the skin, we would have trouble living in our environment day-to-day. An organism imbalance can occur for various reasons, but mainly because one overtakes the other.


Most Likely to be Affected


Infants commonly get this infection, but older adults are prone to it, too. These two groups cannot fight infection the way teenagers, or younger adults can, for example. Elderly people tend to have more problem fighting infection due to autoimmune problems, so they can get thrush more readily. Babies simply have not developed a full-fledged immune system, and people often mistake white splotches for formula or milk. People with some auto-immune illness, no matter their age, are often subject to thrush, as well. Diseases such as Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS), sickle cell anemia, Multiple Sclerosis (MS), and Crohn's disease sometimes causes oral thrush in patients. Unfortunately, anything that can cause irregularity in the body may throw off any one of the naturally occurring balances, too.








Symptoms and Treatments


If you have a cottage cheese-like substance in your mouth, white bumps or scabs, you might have a yeast infection in your mouth. Taking other prescribed medication may also be the cause of thrush; prolonged antibiotic use has been known to cause thrush, as well. Oral anti-fungal medicine is the best way to treat this infection. Remember oral thrush can be caused by another infection that is elsewhere in the body. Be sure to see a health care provider if you manifest any symptoms or think you have illness that might be the cause of thrush.


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Tags: your mouth, cause thrush, infection your, infection your mouth, oral thrush, this infection