Synonym: muguet
Clinical features of oral thrush:
(1) The tongue is covered with patches that are white or creamy.
(2) The patches can be removed by scraping.
(3) Below the patch the surface is painful and may bleed.
Microscopically the patch is a pseudomembrane consisting of yeast and pseudohyphae, inflammatory cells, epithelial cells, necrotic debris and whatever becomes entrapped.
Making the diagnosis of thrush also requires excluding other conditions that look similar such as leukoplakia.
Risk factors for thrush include:
(1) infant, especially if breastfeeding
(2) AIDS
(3) cancer patients
(4) patients using an inhaled corticosteroid
(5) other forms of immunosuppression
