Prevalence of esophageal Candida colonization in a Danish population: special reference to esophageal symptoms, benign esophageal disorders, and pulmonary disease.

A population sample selected at random after stratification for the presence of pulmonary disease was screened for benign esophageal disease; 175 subjects agreed to participate in the invasive investigation, 86 without pulmonary disease and 89 with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Of these, 169 underwent endoscopy of the upper gastrointestinal tract, 164 had mucosal brushings for the presence of Candida albicans in the esophagus, 169 had esophageal pressure measurements, and 113 had 12-h pH measurements. One hundred fourteen subjects with benign esophageal disease were found. The prevalence of C. albicans in the esophagus (greater than or equal to 50 colonies) in subjects with and without COPD was 12.3% and 25.1%, respectively. C. albicans occurred equally in subjects with and without esophageal symptoms. There was no relation between the presence of C. albicans and benign esophageal disease and no significant clinical correlation between esophageal plaques and colony counts of C. albicans.