Thrush in men - symptoms and treatment

Thrush in men is a disease of fungal etymology (candidiasis), which leads to the defeat of the mucous membranes and skin of the external genitalia.

Candidiasis is a woman's disease, but is increasingly developing in males as a consequence of severe damage to the immune system. Thrush can often occur when HIV is affected or after a course of chemotherapy.

Answering the question of how thrush in men manifests itself, it can be said that pathology is characterized by non-expressed external signs. If the candidiasis is infected with a male person, the disease will proceed fairly easily with a minimum of symptoms at the initial stage of the lesion.

Causes

Why is thrush in men, and what is it? Pathogen - microscopic yeast-like fungi of the genus Candida, affecting the mucous membrane. These fungi form part of the microflora of the human body and live where it is warm and humid: in the mouth, in the intestines and in the mucous membranes of the genital organs. Under favorable circumstances, they begin to actively multiply and cause infection.

Men suffer from pathology less often than women because of the special structure of their sexual organs and low susceptibility to hormonal disorders. In view of its physiology, the male organism allows the urine to wash the fungus out of the urethra.

The causes of thrush development in men are quite a lot and they are similar to those of women:

1. Non-compliance with personal hygiene rules. Favorable conditions for reproduction of fungi are moisture and heat. If you rarely take a shower or do not wipe your genitals after washing, the conditions for the existence of Candida fungi will be just perfect.
2. Longtaking antibacterial drugs, cytostatics and glucocorticosteroids.
3. Endocrine diseases (especially diabetes).
4. Decreased immunity (including HIV).
5. Strong stresses, climate change. Both of these factors most often lead to disruption of the immune system and other consequences.
6. Dysbacteriosis (change and disruption of the normal flora of the ureter, glans penis and other organs).
7. Injuries to the genital organs.

As already mentioned, the male thrush is not an STD, but it happens that it is also transmitted through the sexual way. To infect a man can either suffering from a chronic thrush, or being in the position of a woman. The second case is usually more common and is called "marital thrush". During pregnancy, conditions in the sexual organs of a woman are much more favorable for the development of a pathogen.

Symptoms of thrush in men

When there is a thrush in men, the symptoms of which are of an individual nature, it gives the patient a lot of trouble and problems. The general clinical picture of thrush involves the presence of certain symptoms:

• burning and the tooth of the genitals;
• burning and discomfort during urination;
• the appearance on the penis of white or gray plaque;
• redness of the skin on the penis and around the foreskin;
• unpleasant, painful sensations during sexual intercourse;
• feeling of dryness in the head of the penis;
• discharge in the form of liquid or mucus;
• unpleasant odor.

Thrush in men also occurs in the form of certain diseases, the symptoms of which depend on the localization of the process.

1. Candida balanoposthitis. This disease is caused by candida fungi, and sometimes in combination with other inflammations transmitted sexually, for example, mycoplasmosis, trichomoniasis, gonorrhea, genital herpes, chlamydia. The first signs are the appearance of a mushy white-gray mass on the glans penis or white-gray plaque, it is accompanied by itching, burning, pain and severe flushing of the skin. Also there is edema of the head and foreskin, there is an unpleasant smell of sour milk.
2. Candidiasis urethritis. Fungal infection of the mucous membrane of the urethra of men. In this case, most of the symptoms are similar to acute gonorrhea. In addition to the underlying symptoms, in the form of itching, swelling and redness, urination, pain and burning during urination increases, the color of urine may become cloudy and be with impurities of blood or mucus.
3. Candidiasis pyelocystitis. It is considered a complicated form of thrush, when the disease progresses and the fungal infection affects the urinary tract - the kidneys and the bladder. In this case, the general condition may worsen, the temperature may rise, pain may appear not only during sexual intercourse and urination, but also in the bladder and kidney area.

Inadequate treatment can develop a chronic form of candidiasis, which is characterized by periods of remission and exacerbations, with exacerbations occurring up to 4 times a year. During the remission, the symptoms of the disease are little expressed and are of an erased character (pain and discharge are reduced and worn rather the nature of discomfort), the skin swelling and redness decrease and a slight atrophy of the tissues is determined. With the action of provoking factors, the disease worsens.

Signs of defeat of other organs

In addition to urogenital candidiasis, men can also have other types of thrush:

1. Candidiasis of the skin- rash, swelling, itching and redness of the skin in the inguinal folds, axillary region, around the anus.
2. Bowel disease- Periodic diarrhea, flatulence, the appearance of white plaque in the stool.
3. Thrush of the oral cavity- cheesy plaque on the tongue, gums, with its removal visible small sores.
4. Candidiasis of the nails- Redness of the nail roller, exfoliation, thinning of the nail.

In some cases, there is a systemic lesion of the body, when thrush affects several organs at the same time.

Diagnostics

The causative agent of the disease can be easily identified. The doctor takes a wand with cotton wool and takes a small amount of a light coating from the affected areas. After that, microscopy and cultural methods of investigation are carried out, allowing to identify the pathogen. Symptoms of the disease are difficult to confuse with something else, especially if the patient has already been sick with thrush before.

In addition to routine examination, serological reactions can be used to diagnose the disease:

• agglutination reaction;
• precipitation reaction;
• complementary ligament reaction;
• reaction of passive hemagglutination.

During the diagnosis of male candidiasis, it is very important to take into account the accompanying human and STI diseases.

Treatment of thrush in men

When choosing methods for treating thrush in men, specialists use conventional schemes, focuses on:

1. Elimination of the causes contributing to the disease.
2. Elimination of concomitant thrush diseases and its clinical symptoms.
3. Carrying out pathogenetic therapy using vitamins, immunocorrectors, tonic drugs, bacteria of normal intestinal flora.

In the case when a man during the diagnosis did not find other STIs, and only thrush appeared, prescribe a course of antifungal therapy, including topical preparations, as well as capsules or tablets from thrush for ingestion. As a rule, the treatment of candidiasis is effective when both sexual partners receive it. If after some time the candidiasis has become aggravated, then the remedies that strengthen the immunity are added to the treatment.

Also, during therapy, you must give up sweet, flour and alcohol. Especially from the fact that it contains yeast. Recommended thorough washing of underwear, preferably with boiling and using disinfectant detergents.

Drugs and tablets from thrush for men

The most popular to date tablets from thrush are such drugs as

1. Econazole, Mikozolone, Miconazole, Lamisil- preparations of local effect, produced in the form of ointments, creams or gels, are prescribed for mild forms of thrush.
2. Diflucan, Fluconazole, Medoflucon, Flucostat, Diflason- are intended for a single dose in the early stages of thrush development.
3. Clotrimazole, Natamycin- tablets from thrush for men are prescribed for advanced and acute forms of the disease.
4. Clotrimazole- an effective ointment, well tolerated by patients. The drug should be rubbed twice a day into the foreskin and head, the course of treatment is up to two weeks, after which repeated tests are performed.

At the moment, quite a lot of different tablets can be found in the pharmacy, but it's not recommended to choose what to treat thrush alone.

How to treat candidiasis in men with folk remedies

To combat this disease, there are such methods:

1. Squeeze the juice of cranberries or viburnum and rinse the affected mouth of the milkwoman every 6 hours during the day.
2. An equal number of celandine, chamomile, juniper and birch buds are ground and poured hot water (half a liter) and leave to stand for 5-6 hours, and then caress the oral cavity.
3. You can use carrot juice for these purposes, it is also used inside with bowel damage.
4. When the oral cavity is damaged, 1 tbsp. calendula (tincture of the plant on alcohol) pour 1 glass of water and rinse the mouth 4 times a day.
5. When the penis or skin is affected with candidiasis, they are moistened with celandine, garlic, onion juice.

The use of these recipes should in no case replace the antituberculosis therapy prescribed by the doctor.

What kind of doctor should I go to see?

Candidiasis of genital organs in men is treated by a urologist. In the competence of this specialist are pathologies of the kidneys and organs of the genitourinary system. Thrush is not a classic STD, so it is not necessary to contact a dermatovenerologist in the absence of other infections.

Prevention

Based on their causes of the disease, adequate prevention is as follows:

• exclusion of casual sexual relations.
• competent use of hormonal drugs and antibiotics.
• observance of rules of personal hygiene.
• balanced diet.
• The wearing of underwear made of natural materials.

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