Woman gets esophageal candidiasis because of frequent use of antibiotics at home

For the past 2 weeks, a woman named NTH (41 years old, in Nam Dinh ) has been experiencing dull abdominal pain in the epigastric region and left flank, accompanied by symptoms of belching and heartburn. Worried that the condition was showing no signs of improvement, the patient decided to go to the doctor and was prescribed an esophagogastroduodenoscopy.

Woman with dyspepsia due to frequent self-medication with antibiotics at home picture 1 — Endoscopic images of the esophagus of a patient with esophageal candidiasis due to antibiotic abuse, before and after treatment. (Photo provided by the hospital).

After examination, doctors at Medlatec General Hospital discovered an ivory-white lesion that had not been cleaned properly in the esophagus. Noticing the abnormality and suspecting that the lesion was caused by fungus, the doctor immediately took a sample of the specimen for fresh examination of the fungus.

The test results showed that the sample was positive for fungus, and the doctor came to a definitive diagnosis of esophageal candidiasis. The patient said that he often bought antibiotics at pharmacies near his home to take when he had a cough, fever, or common cold.

According to Dr. Pham Thi Que - Gastroenterology Specialist, Medlatec General Hospital - the arbitrary use of antibiotics without a doctor's prescription is the main reason why the patient's immune system becomes weaker, creating conditions for fungi to easily invade.

Woman with dyspepsia due to frequent self-medication with antibiotics at home picture 2 — Indiscriminate use of antibiotics can cause many dangerous medical conditions. (Illustration photo).

From the above case, Dr. Que also gave a recommendation to everyone, this is a "warning" lesson for everyone not to arbitrarily use antibiotics and only use them when prescribed by a doctor at a reputable medical facility.

Dr. Pham Thi Que said that esophageal fungus is not a very dangerous disease, but it is often persistent and difficult to cure completely; if not detected and treated early, the fungus can spread to surrounding organs.

Therefore, accurately identifying the disease and providing timely and correct treatment regimen plays an important role. However, the symptoms of the disease such as epigastric pain, belching, and heartburn are not typical.

In addition, many other diseases such as gastric ulcers, gastric reflux... also often cause such symptoms, which can easily confuse doctors in the process of diagnosing the disease for proper treatment.

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