The Interplay Between Sugar and Yeast Infections: Do Diabetics Have a Greater Predisposition to Develop Oral and Vulvovaginal Candidiasis?

Diabetes mellitus (DM) is one of the most common chronic diseases impacting individuals of both developing and developed nations. DM patients have a weaker immune system in comparison to healthy subjects, rendering them more prone to develop infections. Even the typical gut microflora can become pathogenic in such immunocompromised conditions. Microorganisms belonging to Candida species are capable of causing infections in DM subjects. A comprehensive review of the literature was undertaken. The PubMed database was searched using well-defined search terms. Predefined inclusion and exclusion criteria were applied to classify relevant manuscripts. The results of the review show that DM patients have an increased susceptibility to Candida sp. This paper will summarize the previously conducted research discussing the relationship between DM and candidiasis, features specific to Candida species that make it pathogenic, and compare oral and vulvovaginal candidiasis (VVC) morbidity in diabetics versus healthy subjects.