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Medical Conditions
What medical conditions increase my rate of thrush?
Conditions that lower your immune system and increase available sugar in your blood creates an environment for yeast to grow.
HIV/AIDs
The human immunodeficiency virus hijacks white blood cells and impairs the immune system. Patients who do not have the condition under control are at risk of developing thrush outbreaks.
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This is particularly true if acquired immunodeficiency syndrome develops from HIV being poorly managed.
Diabetes
Diabetes is a condition where the body's use of insulin goes wrong. Insulin is important as it moves sugar in the blood into the cells to create energy. If you have no sugar in your cells, you'll suffer from fatigue and be slow to heal. You'll also suffer from the effects of having too much sugar in the blood which includes:
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More yeast infections
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Weight loss
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Extreme thirst (to dilute the blood)
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Frequent urination (body tries to flush out the extra water and sugar​
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In the past, before modern tests, diabetes was called diabetes mellitus, and diagnosed by a fruity sweet smell or urine caused by so much sugar being in the liquid.
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There are two types of diabetes.
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Type 1: Congenital (Born with)
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An autoimmune condition where the body attacks insulin-producing cells in the pancreas.
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Develops quickly in children
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Life-long and requires insulin injection management
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Type 2: Acquired (Comes later in life)
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Body develops insulin resistance (no longer responds to it properly)
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Associated with lifestyle profiles and obesity
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Can sometimes be managed through a complex carb diet
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If you are getting thrush infections a lot it's a good idea to test for diabetes in case this is why it keeps coming back.
More: Cancer, Hypothyroidism
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Cancer itself, and especially its treatments, weaken the body’s natural defences:
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Chemotherapy and radiotherapy damage the immune system and mucous membranes, reducing the body’s ability to keep Candida under control.
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Weakened immunity from cancers of the blood (like leukaemia or lymphoma) makes fungal infections more common.
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Antibiotic use during cancer treatment (to prevent/treat infections) can disrupt normal bacterial balance, allowing Candida overgrowth.
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Hypothyroidism can increase your risk of thrush by:
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Lowering your immune system
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Altering secretions in the vagina microbiome raising the pH
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Slows tissue repair which can give opportunity to opportunistic growth to candida
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