Difference Between Male Yeast Infection and Women Yeast Infection

soildifferenceYeast infection is commonly thought of as something that only women get. However, an article published by Genitourin Med gives a full scientific discussion of the occurrence of yeast infection among men too. The main reason why only few are aware of this fact is simply because males tend to not to report that they are suffering from it. More often than not, they have the proclivity to think that itā€™s just simply jockā€™s itch and not threatening. Not only is yeast infection not gender-specific, it is also not age-specific. In fact, you can have it at any point in your life.

Under normal circumstances, yeasts pose no dangerous threat to your health if kept at bay. An article published on the Scandinavian Journal of Gastroenterology claims that it poses a low risk on about two-thirds of the population because yeasts constitute a non-significant proportion in comparison to the overall microfloral population. In addition, a research on the Scandinavian Journal of Infectious Disease pointed out that there are only about 3,000-4,000 candida cells in a gram found in the intestine as opposed to the billions of bacteria contained in the same amount of colonic content.

However, it is still a disease worth taking note of since it could be life threatening if left untreated. Despite the development of anti-fungal drugs and its relatively low risk occurrence, the incidence of yeast infection has been reported by the American Journal of Health-system Pharmacy to have escalated five-fold in the past thirteen years.

Commonly Infected Areas and High-Risk Individuals

Yeast infection symptoms are usually manifested in the form of localized infection on the genital area, gastrointestinal tract, esophageal tract, urinary bladder. A form of candida that showed symptoms on the oral cavity is called thrush. It is common among infants but it should not last longer than a few weeks or else it might become a life-threatening disease.

Individuals who are at risk of developing this disease are those whose diets have high sugar and carbohydrate content and are taking antibiotics for medication. Antibiotics upset the pH level of the body. The same happens to those who are on infertility, contraceptives, or hormone replacement therapy. Immunocompromised individuals having HIV/AIDS usually contact this disease as well. Bad personal hygiene may also encourage the excessive colonization of yeast especially on the genital area because they thrive on moist places. In addition, use of detergents in the genital area and pregnancy can contribute to the onslaught of candida.

Yeast Infection Among Women

University of Maryland Medical Center listed vaginal irritation and itching as the common manifestation of candida among women in addition to the presence of smelly white discharge. These symptoms are often localized at the vagina or vulva of women.

If you are a woman, the doctor would usually prescribe you with suppositories or cream. The leading medicines for women with yeast infection are Femcare, Mycelex-G, Gyne-Lotrimin, butoconazole vaginal and Vagistat-I. Majority of these treatments contain antifungal components called clotrimazole, tioconazole, butoconazole, and miconazole. They may be taken in only once or throughout a span of weeks depending on the concentration of the product. In addition to these major components, combination pack treatments may also have traces of vitamin E, aloe and hydrocortisone to help in the healing process.

Yeast Infection Among Men

Males can acquire candida by means of sexual contact. It is also possible for them to have candida if they are heavy drinkers or are often stressed by day-to-day living. Yeast infection in males is usually centralized on their digestive tract.

During the times that it appears on the genital area, candida usually manifests itself as jock itch. More often than not, males would complain of having itchy groin or scrotum. There would be unusual penile discharges under the foreskin and red patches on the head of the penis. If left untreated, these patches could form into craters of lumps.

When infestation occurs, males can suffer from impotence, swollen scrotum, loss of sex drive, painful intercourse and difficulty in urinating. If the yeast infection persists, it could lead to more serious diseases such as prostatitis.

If you are a male, you can relieve the symptoms of candida by trying out some alternative remedies such as the application of Genetian Violet and organic coconut oil. Just like with women who are suffering from the same infection, you can also use topical antifungal creams such as clotrimazole, isocanazole and miconazole. You may want to remove your excess hair so that the humidity in your genital area that causes candida to thrive can be lessened.

Prevention

Developing a yeast infection can be embarrassing regardless if you are a man or a woman. However, you need to take the initiative to get yourself consulted because you might incorrectly diagnose yourself with a more serious infection or miss out that you might be suffering from something else like gonorrhea.

As I always say, prevention is always better than cure so the best way to keep yourself from having candida is by eating a balanced diet, dressing up properly, getting antibiotic prescriptions with anti-yeast components and taking personal hygiene seriously.

References


Bernhardt H. & Knoke M. 1997. Mycological Aspects of Gastrointestinal Microflora.

Scandinavian Journal of Gastroenterology 32 Suppl 222: 102-106.

Mavromanolakis E, Maraki S, Cranidis A, Tselentis Y, Kontoyiannis DP, Samonis G. 2001.

The Impact of Norfloxacin, Ciprofloxacin and Ofloxacin on Human Gut Colonisation by
Candida albicans. Scandinavian Journal of Infectious Diseases 33: 477-478

Lewis RE & Klepser ME. 1999. The changing face of nosocomial candidemia:
Epidemiology, resistance, & drug therapy. American Journal of Health-system Pharmacy 56:
525-533.

David LM, Walzman M, Rajamanoharan S (October 1997). “Genital colonisation and infection with candida in heterosexual and homosexual males”. Genitourin Med 73 (5)

Photo by Craig Hatfield @ Creative Commons – http://www.flickr.com/photos/craighatfield/

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