Korean J Gastrointest Endosc.  2000 Jan;20(1):41-45.

A Case of Gastric Candidiasis Presented with Massive Gastric Bleeding

• Park KB
• Chang YW
• Kim HJ
• Baek IH
• Kim KJ
• Dong SH
• Kim BH
• Lee JI
• Chang R

Abstract

Candida albicans is a saprophytic organism that frequently resides in the mouth, skin, gastrointestinal and vaginal mucosa. It is also an opportunistic pathogen in immune compromised individuals, alcoholics, and debilitated subjects treated with antibiotics, steroids, or antineoplastic drugs. Although the most common site of gastrointestinal involvement is the esophagus, gastric candidiasis may occur in immune suppressed patients and is rarely apparent in healthy individuals. Symptoms are nonspecific; indigestion, abdominal pain, fever and weight loss have been described. The diagnosis can usually be established by visualizing yeast and/or mycelial forms in endoscopic biopsy or in mucosal brushings of the lesions. A case of gastric candidiasis presented with bleeding was experienced in a 69-year-old female with chronic renal failure due to diabetic nephropathy. She underwent orthopedic surgery because of intertrochanteric fracture of her femur. On the 6th day of the postoperative period, the patient began suffering from a large amount of melena. Endoscopic findings revealed multiple whitish or central necrotic plaques in the body and antrum of the stomach. Endoscopic biopsy revealed budding yeast and pseudohyphae infiltrating through the ulcerated stomach wall. After the patient was treated with mycostatin for 7 days, endoscopic and pathologic findings did not show any evidence of the candidiasis. The case is herein reported of gastric candidiasis presented with gastric bleeding, along with a review of corresponding literature.

Keyword

Gastric candidiasis; Gastric bleeding

MeSH Terms

Abdominal Pain
Aged
Alcoholics
Anti-Bacterial Agents
Antineoplastic Agents
Biopsy
Candida albicans
Candidiasis*
Diabetic Nephropathies
Diagnosis
Dyspepsia
Esophagus
Female
Femur
Fever
Hemorrhage*
Humans
Kidney Failure, Chronic
Melena
Mouth
Mucous Membrane
Nystatin
Orthopedics
Postoperative Period
Saccharomycetales
Skin
Steroids
Stomach
Ulcer
Weight Loss
Yeasts
Anti-Bacterial Agents
Antineoplastic Agents
Nystatin
Steroids