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Candida esophagitis

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Summary

Candida esophagitis is being increasingly recognized in the practice of clinical gastroenterology. The widespread use of corticosteroids, immunosuppressive drugs, and cancer chemotherapy, combined with the frequent use of endoscopy for the evaluation of esophageal symptoms, often leads to the identification ofCandida infection in this part of the gastrointestinal tract. The salient clinical features ofCandida esophagitis include odynophagia and dysphagia, although gastrointestinal bleeding may occasionally be the sole presenting symptom. While the radiological signs ofCandida esophagitis are nonspecific, the endoscopic appearance is quite characteristic. Demonstration of tissue invasion by fungal mycelia on mucosal biopsy of the esophagus is diagnostic. The role of serology in the diagnosis ofCandida esophagitis is not well defined. Oral nystatin therapy has been extensively used to controlCandida infection of the esophagus. More recently amphotericin-B, 5-fluorocytosine and imidazole derivatives have been effectively used to treat recalcitrant cases ofCandida esophagitis.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Medicine, Veterans Administration Medical Center, University of Maryland School of Medicine, 3900 Loch Raven Boulevard, 21218, Baltimore, Maryland

    Robert Mathieson MD & Sudhir K. Dutta MD

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  1. Robert Mathieson MD
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  2. Sudhir K. Dutta MD
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Supported by the Veterans Administration.

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Mathieson, R., Dutta, S.K. Candida esophagitis. Digest Dis Sci 28, 365–370 (1983). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01324956

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01324956

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