Biomedicines (Mar 2023)

Oral Candidiasis in Adult and Pediatric Patients with COVID-19

  • Massimo Pisano,
  • Antonio Romano,
  • Maria Pia Di Palo,
  • Adone Baroni,
  • Rosario Serpico,
  • Maria Contaldo

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3390/biomedicines11030846
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 11, no. 3
p. 846

Abstract

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Oral Candidiasis (OC) is an opportunistic fungal infection of the oral cavity, frequently reported under local and systemic predisposing circumstances. While the recurrence of OC HIV-infected subjects has been well described and reported, the association between oral candidiasis and the SARS-CoV-2 infection is a recent finding that still is worthy of further study. The present paper focuses on this novel association, reporting the incidence and prevalence of OC occurring during and after COVID-19 and the possible etiopathogenic mechanisms underlying the onset of OC in COVID-19 subjects. The work found that the immune inflammatory hypo reactions and immunosuppression found in children and adults with COVID-19 could favor the proliferation colonization of Candida species and the following infection. At the same time, poor oral hygiene and iatrogenic causes seem to be the main risk factors.

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