Patient/caregiver was educated on signs and symptoms of candida infection as follows:
- Infection of the genitals and vagina in women with candida can result in white, clumpy, cottage cheese like vaginal discharge with extreme itching, inflammation, and soreness of the labia and vagina. Infection of the genital regions in men with candida can result in inflammatory rash with white patches on the penis, itching and burning sensation of the penis. Both males and females with candida infection of genital areas can present with white patches or plaques involving the skin of the groin and pain during sex.
- Genital infection with candida can extend to involve the urinary tract, resulting in UTI with candida. Individuals can present with fever, chills, frequency of urination, urgency, pain during urination, difficulty passing urine, and passing blood in urine.
- Candida infection of urinary tract can also spread upwards, causing an ascending infection, involving the urinary bladder and kidneys. Involvement of urinary bladder can result in suprapubic or lower abdominal pain and involvement of kidneys can result in fever, chills, flank pain, abdominal cramps, and passing blood in urine.
- In extreme cases, candida can enter the blood and spread to different body parts, such as, brain and liver, resulting in invasive candidiasis, which can be severe and life-threatening.
