Can Candida auris infection be fatal?

Question

Hello doctor,

My neighbor aunty is 72 years old. She has been in the hospital for three days now with a high fever and confusion. The doctors told us her blood culture showed a Candida auris infection. We had never even heard of this before, and they said it is drug-resistant and very serious. She has had diabetes for over 20 years and had a minor stroke last year, which really weakened her. It is scary because just a few days ago, she was fine, and now she does not recognize anyone, not even her daughter. Her urine also showed infection, and her creatinine jumped from 1.3 to 2.1 in one month.

Does this kind of fungus spread inside hospitals?
Is there any chance that she will recover?
Her daughter is heartbroken and keeps reading online that it is fatal. What medicines actually work against this?
Is it common in older people?

Please help.

Thank you.

Answer 1

Hello,

Welcome to icliniq.com.

I read your query and can understand your concern.

She has multi-organ failure due to a fungal infection. She has had a very difficult recovery. She needs to be admitted to the best hospital. Do a fungal culture sensitivity and then start treatment. In DM (diabetes mellitus), this infection is common. The probable diagnosis is UTI (urinary tract infection) and uncontrolled DM (diabetes mellitus). Do tests for fungal elements, culture sensitivity, and RBS (random blood sugar and HbA1c (glycated hemoglobin). The differential diagnoses are UTI (urinary tract infection) and fungal infection.

I hope I have answered your question.

Let me know if I can assist you further.

Thank you.