Case report of oral candidiasis in iron deficiency anemia patients from Basrah, Iraq

Abstract

Iron deficiency (ID) is the most common causes of anemia throughout the world. Iron is one of a variety of nutritional factors has been associated in the pathogenesis of oral candidiasis, it is the most common fungal infection, caused by an overgrowth of opportunistic fungus Candida spp. in immunodeficiency hosts. Two patients with oral manifestation such as angular cheilitis and atrophic glossitis were reported to have iron deficiency anemia(IDA). The first case was a 17 years old female, high school student with symptoms of oral thrush and moderate IDA (Hb 8.0 - 9.9 g/dl) suffers from Angular cheilitis and atrophic glossitis with pseudomembranous candidiasis. The second case was 62 years old female, housewife, suffers from life-threatening IDA (Hb < 6.5 g/dl) had symptoms of oral thrush with angular cheilitis and chronic mucocutaneous candidiasis. Morphological and biochemical identification of the yeast isolated from the two cases tongue revealed that it belongs to C. albicans. At conclusion, IDA patients are more susceptible to oral candidiasis and C. albicans is the most frequent species in the oral cavity of IDA patients as the causative agent of candidiasis.