Thrush is caused by a yeast fungus, usually Candida albicans. There are ten forms of Candida that can affect humans. Fungi are deceptively simple, single- cell microbes.
They are opportunistic, taking every available opportunity to colonize, and tenacious in their adaptability. Yeast can survive on dry household or fabric surfaces, waiting for moisture to reactivate. Yeast thrives in warm, moist, dark areas and replicates wildly in the presence of sugars, including those in human milk. Breast or nipple yeast is rarely a problem for the nonlactating women.
However, in a breastfeeding woman, the change from a dry to a wet atmosphere can create favorable conditions for yeast overgrowth. Under the right conditions, yeast can invade almost any body tissue. It is common in the vagina and the mouth.
A baby may also have yeast rashes in thc diaper area. Any skin that touches other skin is especially vulnerable: under arms or breasts, between fingers or toes, in the groin area and even in the creases of the eyelid.
Skin that is occluded (covered) is also vulnerable as moisture increases. Other common sites for yeast overgrowth are under finger and toenails and beneath dentures. Magix Movie Edit Pro 15 Plus Serial Keygen Photoshop there. Some families have found yeast infections to be incredibly difficult to eradicate. Because thrush is not always visible, for years health care providers did not believe it could occur on nipples or in breast ducts, much less systemically throughout the bodies of those susceptible to it. Medical texts contain little information on breast and nipple yeast infections and it is difficult to prove ductal yeast infection through laboratory tests.
Physicians, such as William Crook who spoke at LLLI Conferences in the 1. Fortunately, a few studies now document the effects of yeast, although many health care providers are still not convinced. Leaders can help by providing information for mothers to share with their health care providers about what yeast is, how overgrowth can occur and ways to control overgrowth.
Candidiasis and Breastfeeding (LLLI Lactation Consultant Series, Unit 1. No. 2. 88- 1. 8) by Lisa Amir, Kay Hoover and Chris Mulford provides detailed information about yeast and its treatment as well as an extensive bibliography. An additional page with colored photographs is also available (No. Predisposing Factors. While yeast can affect healthy people, it tends to proliferate in immunocompromised individuals. It can prove fatal to those who are severely immune- compromised such as transplant recipients, cancer patients or those with AIDS.
Pregnancy can also be a factor in yeast overgrowth. About half of the population carries Candida as a normal part of their skin and intestinal flora. Most exhibit no problems because other normal skin and gut organisms and Candida exist harmoniously and keep each other in balance. When an event occurs that upsets this balance, overgrowth of organisms is likely; the benign yeast turns into a pathogenic (disease- causing) form. Medical slides show hyphal (root- like) growths attaching yeast to and embedding it in various tissues. After a course of antibiotics, which kills both benign and pathogenic bacteria, a yeast infection is more likely. In some countries, farm- raised animals are fed food laced with antibiotics.
This could trigger yeast overgrowth according to Baumslag and Michels in A Woman's Guide to Yeast Infections. Amir found that mothers who had used antibiotics for longer than one month were more susceptible to yeast, even if the use occurred years earlier, for example, long- term use of antibiotics as a treatment for acne. Climate can also play a role in yeast outbreaks. Nh Truck Driver Allowed Hours Of Sleep. Warm weather, particularly when coupled with high humidity which slows the evaporation of perspiration, is conducive to yeast growth. Rainy or foggy climates can also increase thrush outbreaks. In areas where autumn leaves remain on the ground, yeast infections may be more prevalent. Yeasts and molds proliferate under the same conditions.
The higher levels of estrogen and progesterone during pregnancy encourage yeast colonization as the p. H of the vagina changes. Babies born to mothers with vaginal yeast often develop oral thrush when they are ten days to two weeks old from exposure in the birth canal. This can also happen to babies whose mothers are treated with antibiotics at the time of delivery; mothers are sometimes unaware that they have received these antibiotics. Mothers who take oral contraceptives containing estrogen are also more likely to experience yeast infections, according to Baumslag and Michels. The use of corticosteriod drugs also predisposes a woman to yeast infections.
Ruth Lawrence in Breastfeeding: A Guide for the Medical Profession reports a correlation between long- term steroid use and yeast infections, for example, in those being treated for asthma or severe allergies. Some other influences on yeast infections according to Baumslag and Michels are sexual transmission, genital abrasions/irritations, immunosuppressive therapy and other deficiencies in the immune system such as those caused by illness, poor nutrition or stress. Infants are particularly prone to yeast infections, especially premature babies and those with PKU.
In breastfeeding women, nipple damage is associated with a higher risk of developing yeast. Marianne Neifert found that 7. Candida. Often yeast and bacterial infections are present simultaneously on nipples that have broken skin. Both mother and baby must be treated to resolve the discomfort. Amir found more yeast infections in women using nursing pads which keep the nipple warm and moist.
Horowitz found that dietary factors, especially consuming dairy products, sugars and artificial sweeteners, contributed to yeast overgrowth. Olds found that nutritional deficiencies of vitamins A, B, C, and K, as well as folic acid and iron contributed to yeast infections. Edman found women who are deficient in zinc are more prone to recurrent yeast infection. Diabetics, because of higher blood sugars, are more likely to be plagued by yeast: indeed, repeated yeast infections may provide the first warning of diabetes.
Manning found babies who use pacifiers (soothers, dummies) have more thrush than babies who do not. Symptoms of Thrush.
Pain is the hallmark symptom of yeast. Mothers have described the pain as searing, burning, stabbing, shooting, knifing (particularly hot knifing), itchy- burny, throbbing, flaming, stinging or thrusting, as well as extremely severe, acute, unbearable and excruciating. One mother described to LLL Leader and IBCLC Kay Hoover the feeling that there was ground glass in her nipple. These descriptions make it obvious why immediate measures need to be taken to preserve the breastfeeding relationship. The pain may occur during or after feedings or both.