Thrush in children's mouth. What it looks like and how to treat it.

Thrush or candidiasis is a well-known disease, the development of which occurs due to the activity of yeast fungi called “Candida”. These microorganisms are opportunistic, therefore they exist peacefully in the body of almost all inhabitants of the Earth.

However, a temporary drop in immunity or another unfavorable factor can cause activation of fungal microflora, triggering the development of corresponding ailments. One of these is the already summarized candidiasis. Read more about its course in infants, the danger of the pathology for their body and the principles of its treatment below.

What does thrush look like in a child?

Any part of the oropharynx can be affected: tongue, lips, corners of the mouth, gums, mucous membranes of the cheeks, palate, pharynx, tonsils. White grains (spot coating) appear, reminiscent of curdled milk, or a film (solid coating) of a cheesy appearance. These elements are easily removed by scraping with a spatula, revealing a bright red base, sometimes with a bleeding surface. As a rule, the course of the infection is painless and has only local manifestations. General health is not affected.

Principles of therapy

Antifungal drugs

Getting rid of thrush in a baby is quite simple, naturally – with timely and high-quality treatment.

Despite their possible pathogenicity, Candida fungi have little resistance to basic therapy methods and die almost completely within a relatively short period of time. All this helps to improve the child’s condition, the absence of complications and direct recovery from pathology.

Treatment of infants for candidiasis is primitive, but it should be organized together with a professional pediatrician. The general principles of therapy largely depend on the age of the sick child.

How to treat thrush in a child?

The disease is treated at home. Local medications are used and only as prescribed by a doctor: pediatrician or dentist! Special antifungal agents are used in the form of solutions, sprays, gels, and drops. For maximum effectiveness of therapy, the drug must remain in the oral cavity (on the mucous membrane) for as long as possible. Therefore, the main way to use them is by rinsing or lubricating.

Treatment is long, up to 2-3 weeks.

It is important!

Often thrush in the mouth of infants is associated with candidiasis of the skin of the nipples and areola in the mother. In this case, the woman experiences redness, irritation, and a burning sensation on her chest. In this case, treatment should be comprehensive, for mother and baby.

The mechanism of development and features of candidiasis in infants

Candidiasis manifests itself as a white coating

As noted earlier, no one is immune from thrush or, scientifically, candidiasis. This state of affairs is not difficult to explain, because the provocateurs of this pathology can exist quite peacefully in the body of any person.

Why? All because of their conditional pathogenicity. If the human body is in good shape and is able to organize its high-quality defense, then the activation of Candida fungi will not occur. But as soon as it gives the slightest glitch, the unfavorable microflora is activated, begins to actively multiply and literally “eat” healthy tissue.

Fungal microorganisms can and often do live in all parts of the human body. The largest accumulation of candida microflora can be found in:

oral cavity;
intestines;
genital area.

As a rule, the activation of fungi in one area entails the unfavorable activity of their “brothers” in another part of the body. In infants, candidiasis is an inflammatory disease that develops either in the mouth, or in the groin area, or both.

Many parents are interested in “Where could their child, seemingly born quite recently, pick up fungal microflora?” In fact, anywhere. Often, Candida fungi are transmitted to children at birth and live in their bodies for the rest of their lives.

Naturally, only with the activation of unfavorable microflora does the development of pathology and its accompanying manifestations take place.

Child nutrition

Simple carbohydrates are the main nutrient medium for fungal growth. Therefore, sweets, sugar, cookies, etc. must be excluded from the patient’s diet. Breastfeeding certainly continues.

If the child is bottle-fed or mixed-fed, then preference should be given to formulas containing probiotic microorganisms, which have the largest evidence base for their effectiveness. These are LGG and BB-12 from Chr. Hansen. It has been proven that LGG and BB-12 inhibit the growth of opportunistic microorganisms and fungi, protect against the development of caries and infections, and effectively prevent atopic eczema. Nutrilak Premium Comfort is enriched with LGG probiotic.

Symptoms of pathology

Candidiasis in infants

The development of thrush in newborns and very young children is more than pronounced. In general, the pathology occurs in three stages, at each of which specific symptoms are observed.

If we consider each stage of candidiasis in more detail, we should highlight:

Absence of discomfort in a sick child at the first stage of the disease. It is indirectly indicated only by redness in the mouth, a slight cheesy coating on the tongue and the appearance of a sour odor from the baby’s mouth.
A more pronounced manifestation of the noted symptoms in the second stage of the disease, also supplemented by the formation of small erosions in the oral cavity and pain in the child. The latter, by the way, are expressed in the constant crying of the baby, which cannot be calmed down.
The most severe manifestation of pathology is at the last – third stage. Symptoms at this stage of thrush are the most pronounced and severe. It often manifests itself in damage to the entire oral cavity, which results in the appearance of large areas covered with a cheesy coating. Often additional signs of the disease are fever, abnormal bowel movements and insomnia in infants.

Perhaps the most obvious signs of candidiasis in a small child are:

strong sour odor from the mouth;
the appearance of a cheesy coating in the oral cavity;
temperature rise to 38 degrees Celsius.

Having discovered at least one of the noted manifestations in their child, parents must show it to the pediatrician.

At a minimum, before starting treatment, it is important to confirm with a specialist the fact of thrush and receive basic recommendations for combating the pathology. It is better not to self-medicate candidiasis in infants, for example, due to its considerable danger.

Disease prevention

To get rid of candidiasis completely, you need to adhere to a number of simple preventive measures. Among them:

compliance with basic hygiene rules: wash your hands thoroughly, care for the skin and mucous membranes of the child;
maintaining an optimal microclimate in the apartment;
strengthening the child's immunity.

Thrush in a baby is a serious disease, the recurrence of which can only be avoided by timely consultation with a doctor. It is prohibited to independently treat childhood candidiasis, without undergoing the necessary examinations, based on knowledge obtained from newspaper (magazine) articles.

About the disease

Thrush is one of the most common diseases that occurs against the background of increased activity of fungi of the genus Candida.
The disease got its name because of the characteristic white (“milky”) coating that forms on the affected mucous membranes. The pathogen is normally present in small quantities on the surface of the oral cavity, skin, and objects of daily use. However, this concentration of fungi, provided the immune system is functioning normally, is not enough to cause any clinical manifestations of pathology.

Newborns and infants are automatically at risk of developing the disease. This is due to the immaturity of the immune system and the minimum number of natural barriers to the penetration of fungi into the baby’s body. Therefore, thrush is a relatively common problem that many parents may encounter. In 90% of cases there is no need to be afraid of the disease, but you also cannot ignore the symptoms due to the risk of developing complications.

General information

Candidiasis in children is a common disease among children. Normally, small amounts of fungi are part of the opportunistic microflora and are constantly present in the body. If the child’s immunity is strong, microorganisms are safe for health. In weakened children, the fungus begins to multiply uncontrollably, affecting the mucous membranes, skin, and genitals. If candidiasis is left untreated, serious health problems can follow. The main task of parents in the fight against the disease is to establish good nutrition and strengthen the child’s immunity.

Treatment

Fungal diseases in children can be treated by a pediatrician, an infectious disease specialist or a dermatologist. If we are talking about the treatment of oral thrush, then therapy can also be carried out by a dentist.

The diagnosis of candidiasis is determined in most cases based on an examination of the oral cavity performed by a specialist. If there is any doubt, the doctor refers the patient for additional examinations. More often, to confirm the disease, a laboratory test is used to test a smear taken from the mouth for the presence of fungus.

Treatment of candidiasis

The goal of treatment for candidiasis in children is to eliminate symptoms and prevent further proliferation of fungi in order to reduce their number. General recommendations for strengthening the baby’s body are as follows:

reduce the consumption of sweet, salty and flour foods, which create a favorable environment for the growth of candida;
take vitamin complexes, including folic and ascorbic acids, probiotics to normalize microflora;
give the child drugs to strengthen the immune system;
For newborns on artificial nutrition, switch to medicinal mixtures containing probiotics and vitamins.

If candidiasis has affected the oral cavity, treatment of the mucous membrane with antifungal agents is prescribed:

a solution of baking soda, fucorcin or brilliant green;
Miramistin (antiseptic);
Clotrimazole (antifungal ointment);
Nizoral, Pimafucin (antimycotic medications);
spray for sore throat, stomatitis.

It is recommended to lubricate nails infected with fungus with iodine, antifungal ointments Clotrimazole, Decamine, Mikoseptin and varnishes. If the vagina is affected in girls, antifungal suppositories are recommended. You should not select medications yourself. It is better to consult a doctor and get examined. Self-medication can only worsen the baby’s condition. If thrush, despite the measures taken, does not go away, you may need to consult an immunologist, because This condition is usually associated with weak immunity.

Causes of thrush

What are the causes of this disease? Often, a child becomes infected from the mother during childbirth, or if the mother neglects intimate hygiene. Therefore, a pregnant woman diagnosed with bacterial candidiasis needs to be observed by specialists. Infection through toys and pacifiers is possible in the absence of sanitary treatment. Thrush can occur in children while taking antibiotics, allergies, a tendency to regurgitate, or frequent colds. These facts indicate that the pathogenic fungus lives in almost every person, but becomes pathogenic only with a decrease in immunity and in the presence of a suitable environment (lactic acid).

Mothers need to know that a baby who receives breast milk is less likely to encounter thrush problems. But, nevertheless, an important factor in protecting against infection is the observance of simple hygiene rules, this becomes especially important as the baby grows up, when all objects that fall into his hands immediately end up in his mouth.

Diagnosis of thrush

Oral candidiasis is diagnosed based on clinical findings, and additional mycological testing usually does not need to be performed. The positive effect of local specific therapy confirms the correctness of the diagnosis.

A complete diagnosis of candidal lesions is based on data from the clinical picture, microscopic and cultural studies, and serological reactions.

During a microscopic examination, scrapings are made from the mucous membranes and the material is examined under a microscope. This method allows you to identify yeast-like cells and filaments of mycelium of Candida fungi.

During a bacteriological examination, a culture is performed to determine the number of colonies of Candida fungi, the type of Candida fungus and its susceptibility to antifungal drugs. To do this, fungal colonies grown on a nutrient medium are treated with various antifungal drugs and see which drug is more effective.

Sometimes the reason for ineffective treatment of candidiasis may be the insensitivity of the fungal species to treatment with certain drugs. In this case, such a study must be carried out.

In a serological test (a test in which antibodies are tested in human serum), the most reliable test is the complement fixation reaction (CFR) with yeast antigens. The study detects antibodies to Candida fungi. In most patients, RSC is positive even with a small amount of antibodies.

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Causes of candidiasis

The main cause of candidiasis in children is a yeast fungus of the genus Candida, present in the human microflora. But to activate it and increase the number of microorganisms, a number of factors are required:

weakened immune system;
frequent viral and colds;
thyroid diseases;
diabetes;
hypovitaminosis;
taking hormonal drugs or antibiotics for a long time;
chronic diseases;
HIV infection;
intestinal dysbiosis.

The disease often occurs in premature infants and weakened children. If the mother's birth canal has been affected by candida, the baby, passing through it, becomes infected. The risk of developing candidiasis in such a newborn is much higher.

Diagnosis of candidiasis

A pediatrician usually has no problems diagnosing thrush on the oral mucosa.
This is a common disease with characteristic symptoms, so an experienced specialist can easily identify it. In particularly difficult cases, when diagnosing a sore throat, sputum analysis may be required to identify the pathogen. The situation is more complicated with the diagnosis of candidiasis on the genital mucosa. In this case, you will have to take a smear for microflora, which will show the presence of inflammation and help identify the causative pathogen.

Thrush on internal organs is even more difficult to detect: external symptoms may be absent. Blood, urine, and stool tests may be required to detect mycosis.

Possible deviations

All infectious diseases in children tend to quickly spread to other organs and systems. Girls, even in infancy, can develop vaginal candidiasis. Vulvovaginitis is dangerous because in girls, who at this age have extremely delicate mucous membranes, there may be fusion of the vagina or labia. This problem can only be solved surgically. That is why the mother should regularly check the condition of the child’s genitals: for redness and discharge. In addition, against the background of thrush, other, much more serious and dangerous conditions can often develop - generalization of the process and the development of sepsis (an infectious disease caused by the spread of bacterial or fungal flora from the source of infection into the blood, lymphatic tract, and from them into all tissues and organs). Therefore, a serious approach to prevention, early detection, effectiveness and timely treatment of thrush is necessary. The process may be complicated by the addition of a bacterial infection, spreading to the gastrointestinal tract.

With insufficient treatment, oral candidiasis can take a chronic, relapsing course. The child may begin to refuse to eat, sleep is disturbed, and the baby becomes irritable. Changes occur in the protective function of the child’s body, allergic reactions develop, and a predisposition to the development of various diseases, such as bronchial asthma, is formed.