From the Research
Causes of Post-Meal Nausea and Vomiting in Esophageal Candidiasis
- Esophageal candidiasis is a type of infectious esophagitis that can cause symptoms such as pain on swallowing, difficulty swallowing, and pain behind the sternum 1.
- The infection can lead to nausea and vomiting, especially in immunocompromised patients, such as those with HIV/AIDS, leukemia, diabetes, and those receiving corticosteroids, radiation, and chemotherapy 2.
- Other risk factors for esophageal candidiasis include antibiotic or steroid medication use, alcoholic consumption, diabetes mellitus, and esophageal stasis disorders such as achalasia or scleroderma esophagus 3.
- Infectious esophagitis, including esophageal candidiasis, can cause symptoms such as dysphagia, odynophagia, heartburn, retrosternal discomfort, nausea, and vomiting 4.
- In renal transplant recipients, esophageal candidiasis can cause nausea, vomiting, and gastric discomfort, especially in those treated with mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) 5.
Associated Symptoms and Conditions
- Esophageal candidiasis can coexist with other conditions, such as oral thrush, and can be confirmed histologically by taking a biopsy or brushings of yeast and pseudohyphae invading mucosal cells 1.
- The infection can lead to complications such as necrotizing esophageal candidiasis, fistula, and sepsis, although the prognosis is generally good 1.
- Esophageal candidiasis can be differentiated from other forms of infectious esophagitis, such as cytomegalovirus and herpes simplex virus infection, by endoscopic examination and histological confirmation 1, 2.