Yeast is a type of fungus that causes frequent infections in various sites. As outlined by the Merck Manuals Online Medical Library, the yeast most commonly causing infection is Candida Albicans, which causes an infection called candidiasis or moniliasis. Yeast infections favor warm moist areas such as the vagina, oral cavity and skin folds. The most common types of yeast infections are vaginal yeast infections, thrush (infection of the oral cavity by yeast), yeast infection of the skin folds, and nail yeast infections.
Complications of Vaginal Yeast Infections
Most women experience a vaginal yeast infection at least once in their lifetime. Vaginal candidiasis causes pain and burning of the vulva. While it is relatively benign and readily treated by antifungal medication, vaginal candidiasis tends to be recurrent. Recurrent vaginal yeast infection affects the quality of the life not only because urination becomes painful, but also because of the infection interferes with sexual activity.
Complications of Nail infections
The Merck Manuals Online Medical Library states that yeast infections of the nails, onychomycosis, can be very destructive to the affected nails. The affected nail becomes discolored, thickened and deformed. In addition to being unattractive, fungal nail infections can destroy the nail completely, resulting in fragmentation and separation from the nail bed.
Systemic Candidiasis
Systemic candidiasis is the only life threatening complication of yeast infections. Thankfully, it almost exclusively occurs in patients with a compromised immune system. The University of Adelaide lists patients with HIV/AIDS, patients receiving immunosuppressive therapy after organ transplantation, and patients undergoing aggressive cancer treatments as potential candidates. Systemic candidiasis is a widespread yeast infection that affects many organs, including the esophagus, stomach, intestine, lungs, kidneys, eyes, and even the heart. When Candida gains access to the blood, it causes kidney infection (pyelonephritis) in up to 80 percent of the cases. Patients with systemic/disseminated candidiasis become severely ill, and suffer from a fever that does not respond well to antibiotics. Sometimes, AIDS patients are prescribed intermittent preventive systemic antifungal therapy as a preemptive measure against disseminated candidiasis.
