[Debsm]

Hi, i have ctd and cfs. I have not had any problems for the past 5 months. I visited my Gp about a sore throat/cough and was told i had oral thrush. My understanding is that your immune system has to be really under stress to get this. I know from your posts a lot of people with lupus get this but that seems to put a lot more strain on the immune system that ctd. Any advice/ideas?
Thanks

 

[elisabethm]

Hi Debs have you been on antibiotics as some times. when i have been on them but someone else might have more experience on it than me.But i hope you feel better soon Elisabeth

 

[Debsm]

Hi Elisabeth, no have not been on antibiotics for months. My gp reluctantly gave me some yesterday as i feel terrible with the sore throat. Thanks for your reply x

 

[Clare.T]

Hello Deb
I have read that people with lupus tend to have thrush and other candida infections more than the healthy population even when they have not been on antibiotics or aren't on immunosuppressants, but the precise reason for this isn't clear.
Of course it needs treating ! Things like this may not seem or be medically important but they can seriously affect quality of life.
I would look thrush up on line to see what precauctions can be taken to lessen the chance of recurrence. For example eliminating sugar from diet is often mentioned
Some people with lupus report more infections of all sorts while others are the opposite- I guess it is another of the range of variables.

I see from another post that you have been diagnosed with UCTD. To be nitpicky, the phrase CTD can mean anything - there are many CTD's that are not autoimmune. UCTD on the other hand means autoimmune connective tissue disease that doesn't show any of the hall marks of other autoimmune diseases. In the case of lupus, no antibodies like ds DNA or anti Sm and probably not anti-Ro in most circumstances, as well as no lupus proven skin or kidney disease.
There might only be a positive ANA which is not specific. It all depends on the diagnosing habits of the doctor. I am sure that many people who theoretically have a UCTD diagnosis might have been given a diagnosis of 'lupus' by another doctor.

I hope it clears up very soon.

Cheers
Clare

 

[Debsm]

Hi Clare, i don't think your being nit picky. I struggle to understand the difference between uctd and ctd, and find information on it very vague. I thought ctd was an umbrella term for auto immune disorders. Any links or other information would be very helpful.
Thanks again.
Deb

 

[Clare.T]

Hello again Debs
Connective tissue disease is the general term for musculo skeletal disorders of any sort. The two main groups are inherited/ congenital disorders and the smaller group of autoimmune diseases which develop but aren't inherited in the usual sense of the word, like lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, scleroderma, or Sjogrens
For CTD's in general see

Connective Tissue Diseases Causes, Symptoms, Types and Characteristics on MedicineNet.com

Diagnostic criteria have been developed to describe and identify the various autoimmune connective tissue diseases. This is for ease of reference, statistics studies and research projects. If you look at the criteria for lupus you see a very wide range of possible symptoms has been included on the list. There are very few specific criteria for lupus and it is often necessary to have sub definitions to better define and describe. UCTD is undifferentiated connective tissue disease which means there are no specific signs of either lupus or any other connective tissue disease. It is often diagnosed as 'mild' lupus.

In many cases the diagnosis stays the same but in some cases specific signs of a particular disease will emerge over time. In some cases there is disagreement or controversy about diagnostic criteria and in other cases there are overlaps and variants which make clear cut diagnosis impossible. Some doctors are reluctant to diagnose Sjogren's unless there is a positive lip biopsy. Mixed connective tissue disease is another diagnosis that there is often a lack of clarity about and there is some debate about its usefulness as a diagnosis.

There are over 100 autoimmune diseases the majority of which attack only one organ such as autoimmune thyroid or diabetes type 1. Lupus and the others in that group are systemic and might attack any organ or system such as blood.

http://www.emedicine.com/med/TOPIC2937.HTM

I hope that helps
Cheers
Clare

 

[Debsm]

Thanks Clare

 

[Numpty]

I used to get thrush all the time both while taking antibiotics and not but after finding a really good cream from the doctor it all cleared up.
Anyway, last month I was diagnosed with 'probable lupus' (mostly because my ANA is negative although I have one of the other antibodies but don't fit the typical lupus case whatever that is). They started me on Plaquinl (sp?) and that same day I was floored suspected glandular fever. Anyway, I still have a really sore throat and my doctor told me it was oral thrush. Have never had it there before!
The meds I was given for it did make the white on my tongue go away but I still have this horrible throat problem. Its only when I swallow or shout but its like a scratchy pain way low down in my throat.
I hope you get yours sorted out soon!
Numpt x

 

[raggedyann1]

Hi,

In addition to the medications for thrush, some of us take/use probiotics. They are the good bacteria that you need in your GI tract and they help keep thrush/candida/yeast away. The most well known probiotic is Acidopholus. I take tablets everyday before my evening meal and I haven't had a yeast infection in years. With oral thrush some people use the liquid Acidopholus to rinse and gargle with. I would suggest you don't swallow it when used for that purpose.

Take care,
Karen

 

[Debsm]

Hi will try with the probiotics, thanks for your replies. Hope you get your throat sorted Numpt x

 

[halfpintfl]

Hi Deb, I have only had oral thrush once. I had a sore mouth and a few bumps that were sore, so I went to my Dermy as he knows my history. He diagnosed oral thrush, and I thought I would die of embarrassment, but he said it is fairly common with Lupus. He gave me RX for a liquid to gargle with 4xday, and a paste for my lower denture. It cured it right up with no problems, but sorry that I can't remember the name of it.