ZocdocAnswersI have a yeast infection in my mouth and on my penis. Is the only reason for this HIV?



I have well controlled diabetes type 1 I am 18 I recently had unprotected oral sex.


Sorry to hear about your symptoms. There are many potential explanations for having a fungal infection of the mouth and body and I recommend you speak with your doctor. Most of them ultimately end up with a decreased immune defense. This is because we are all exposed to fungus on an almost constant basis, and this fungus will usually not overgrow and cause the symptoms of thrush or other complaints. However, when the immune system is down for some reason, these fungi can tend to proliferate. Candida is one of the most common. While a low infection fighting cell count due to HIV can be one possible explanation, it is not necessarily the most likely. Diabetes itself, especially when poorly controlled, can cause a marked impairment in the host immune defense. This will make you more prone to all sorts of different infections, including fungal overgrowth. Other causes of oral thrush that are common include inhalers that have steroids in them, which is why it is so important to rinse your mouth after using them. Given that there are so many explanations, and that some of them could be quite serious, it is important to speak with your doctor about your symptoms. Please speak with your doctor.

