The dietary modification and treatment of intestinal Candida overgrowth - a pilot study.
OBJECTIVE
The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of an alternative treatment in a form of recommended diet modification during and after conventional treatment with antifungals in patients with a chronic form of intestinal Candida overgrowth (ICOG).


METHODS
The study included patients with ICOG divided in two subgroups: patients treated with nystatin and recommended diet regime (study group-SG) and the patients treated only with nystatin (control group-CG). After treatment, the mycological control examination and follow-up were performed two times: the first one within ten days after the completion of antifungal treatment, and the second one three months after the treatment initialization.


RESULTS
A total of 120 patients finished the study: 80 from the SG and 40 from the CG. At the first mycological control examination of SG patients stools, we noted satisfactory antifungal and symptomatic effect in 56 out of 80 (70.0%) patients and 29 out of 40 (72.5%) in CG, with no statistically significant difference. However, at the second control stool examination, significantly higher percent (85%) of cured patients was recorded after three months of the recommended diet comparing with CG-17 out of 40 (42.5%).


CONCLUSION
Results of this pilot study showed that patients who adhered to diet modification during and after treatment with nystatin had better outcomes of ICOG and strongly suggest the need for diet modification in these patients which recommendation could reduce excessive prescription of antifungals.
['Otašević|S|S|', 'Momčilović|S|S|', 'Petrović|M|M|', 'Radulović|O|O|', 'Stojanović|N M|NM|', 'Arsić-Arsenijević|V|V|']
D000293:Adolescent D000328:Adult D000368:Aged D000369:Aged, 80 and over D000935:Antifungal Agents D002175:Candida D002177:Candidiasis D005243:Feces D005260:Female D005500:Follow-Up Studies D006801:Humans D007410:Intestinal Diseases D008297:Male D008875:Middle Aged D009761:Nystatin D010865:Pilot Projects D016896:Treatment Outcome D055815:Young Adult
Dietary modification Antifungal treatment Intestinal candidosis