The epidemiologic pattern of candidiasis in people with predisposing backgrounds

Candida albicans is a yeast-like part of the normal flora of the mucosal surfaces of the oral cavity, digestive tract, and vagina. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of candidiasis and its relation with predisposing factors such as age, sex, smoking and disease type (gastrointestinal problems, diabetes, and Alzheimer's disease).

In this cross-sectional study, lesions of 183 patients suspected of candidiasis(vaginal discharge, anal swab and oral)were sampled in2018.Candida species were identified using morphological, biochemical tests and culture on the CHROMagar Candida medium and the PCR-RFLP method was used for definitive identification of the candida species. Sampling was done with the consent of the subjects and the required data were recorded in the relevant questionnaire. The necessary data were recorded in the relevant data sheets and analyzed by Fisher and Chi-square test(P.value=0.05).

Of the 183 samples studied, Candida albicans with 98 cases(53.55%)had the highest contribution. Results showed that 78.12% of people with gastrointestinal candidiasis aged 55 to 80 years were suffering from Alzheimer's disease(P.value<0.05). Also among the 56 diabetic patients, 36 (64.28%) had oral candidiasis, most of which were in the age group of 18-30 years(P.value<0.05). The distribution of vaginal candidiasis was significantly associated with gastrointestinal infections and age. There was no significant relationship between the distribution of candidiasis and smoking and sex(P.value>0.05).

This study showed that candidiasis is highly prevalent in people with predisposing conditions, especially diabetes, Alzheimer's and people with digestive problems. Candida albicans and Candida tropicalis are the major contributing factors.