IC may lead to invasive candidiasis in susceptible individuals, such as critically ill or immunosuppressed patients and premature babies. This occurs when fungi — most commonly the Candida species — escape the intestinal tract and infect other areas, such as the blood, brain, or heart. This leads to a fever that doesn’t go away after treatment with antibiotics, and can eventually progress to sepsis (a life-threatening immune system response) and death if untreated.
The mortality rate of candidemia (a Candida infection in the bloodstream) is estimated to be over 25% in premature infants and roughly 58% in adults who don’t receive timely treatment.[1]