If the nails are affected by a fungus, this obviously will not decorate the toenails.But one in five people encounters this disease at least once in their life.The nail changes color, thickens and crumbles.Symptoms of a fungal infection can be erased, and treatment is not prescribed in a timely manner.
When the immune system is weakened, nail fungus can spread to the skin of the foot.And in some cases, the fungi can spread through the bloodstream and cause damage to internal organs.Fungal infection is a common cause of allergy and exacerbation of many diseases, for example, bronchial asthma.A sick person is dangerous to others, especially children.
Treating a fungal nail infection is not an easy task.The patient will need perseverance and precision.Despite the apparent non-severity of the disease, it is important to recognize foot fungus in time and be sure to treat it.
Causes of fungal nail infections
The fungi that cause nail disease are normal inhabitants of the environment.But under certain conditions, fungal mycelium can begin to develop in human skin or nails.Onychomycosis, a nail fungus, occurs many times more often on the feet than on the hands.This is due to the fact that the feet get injured more often and come into more contact with contaminated surfaces.Nail fungus appears on toes and hands alike.
You can contract the fungus in public areas where people walk barefoot.These are beaches, swimming pools, bathrooms, saunas, gyms, showers.Flakes of skin containing fungal spores fall off the legs of a sick person.The spores are very resistant and can remain viable for years.Mushrooms especially love humid environments and wooden surfaces.
When it comes into contact with the skin of a healthy person, the spores become activated and begin to multiply.The feet are usually affected first.Later, the infection can spread to the toenails and hands.A sick person, in turn, becomes a source of infection for family members, especially children.
In a family, the disease is more likely to develop in one parent and the child than in both spouses.The reasons for this lie in genetic predisposition.
Signs and types of disease
Toenail disease is not difficult to recognize;its symptoms are evident.Depending on the appearance of the affected nail, three forms of the disease are distinguished: normotrophic, hypertrophic and atrophic.
| Shape of the lesion | Signs of illness |
|---|---|
| Normotrophic. | The nail retains its color and strength.Symptoms of the disease are limited to the appearance of spots on the surface of the nail. |
| Hypertrophic. | The nail thickens, becomes dull and loose.Over time, it changes shape and looks like a "bird claw".This phenomenon is called gryphosis. |
| Atrophic. | Destruction of toenails.The nail becomes dull, crumbles and the nail bed is exposed.Over time, the nail plate can collapse completely. |
At the site of penetration of the infection into the nail, distal-lateral, proximal, total and superficial onychomycosis are distinguished.Distal-lateral onychomycosis is the most common.This is an option when the infection enters the nail from its free end and affects the free edge of the nail and the nail folds to the right and left of the nail bed.In the proximal version, the growth part of the nail opposite to the free edge is affected.In the superficial version, the fungus affects the entire surface of the nail plate from the outside.It looks like a fine white powder spread on the surface of the nail.The total variant is the result of any form, when the fungus has spread and the entire nail is completely affected.
The first signs of the disease appear on the foot, as this is where the infection occurs.The skin on the foot peels, the spaces between the toes become red, and itching may occur.The first signs of damage to the nails: the appearance of spots on the nail plate.The spots can be white, yellowish or blue-black, typical of mold.Subsequently, the fungus penetrates deeper, the affected nail appears dull, thickens or crumbles.The adjacent nail plates are affected.
To accurately determine the causes of the disease, microscopy of nail scrapings is performed.Some laboratories have the opportunity to inoculate this material onto a nutrient medium to grow and study the culture of the fungus.
How is the treatment carried out?
Treatment of a fungal infection should be started as soon as the first signs of the disease are recognized.At the same time, treatment cannot begin until confirmation is obtained that the cause of the disease is a fungus.You shouldn't carry out expensive and harmful treatments for the body just like that!
Treatment of fungal infection includes a number of measures:
- removal of the affected nail;
- take antifungal drugs;
- treatment of the nail bed with local agents;
- additional treatment methods: laser irradiation, physiotherapy, vascular agents.
Nail removal is performed when the nail plate is thickened and drugs through it cannot penetrate into the subungual layer.You can remove the affected nail using a special plaster.The patient can perform this removal independently.A special mass is applied to the nail plate, fixed with a plaster and after two days it is removed.The nail plate can be removed by scraping it layer by layer.
However, it has been shown that the treatment is more effective when the nail is removed surgically.The surgeon removes the nail under local anesthesia.The nail plate can usually be removed using a clamp.Removing the nail allows you to significantly increase the effectiveness of the therapy.
Treatment with antifungal drugs is carried out for 3-6 months.For local treatment of the subungual area, pharmacies offer various types of preparations in the form of varnishes, sprays and lotions.It is preferable to choose a drug with the same active ingredient that the patient takes orally.Physiotherapy and vascular medications complete the treatment.All these measures allow you to increase the blood supply to the foot and increase the release of medicinal substances at the site of the fungal infection.
Even if all symptoms have disappeared, 2 and 4 months after the end of treatment, follow-up tests should be performed to determine whether there is a relapse.
The reasons for ineffective treatment can vary.Perhaps the fungus is insensitive to the drug used for therapy.It happens that a person does not fully comply with medical recommendations.Reinfection is possible.
Onychomycosis of the feet in children
The risk of infection for a child is mainly associated with fungal infections among adults in the family.Children often become infected in swimming pools.In children, immune defense is not formed, so the risk of infection for a child is greater than for an adult.At the same time, regeneration processes in children proceed faster.Therefore, the nails grow back faster than the fungus spreads on them, and the child may not develop the disease.
In children, the symptoms of the disease are no different from those of adults, and the principles of treatment are the same.The first symptoms of the disease, as in adults, appear on the skin of the foot: itching, peeling, and the spaces between the toes become wet.And only then does the infection spread to the toenails.
Treatment for children is gentle.For a child, only local treatment is possible, without the use of tablets, which are not harmless to young children.
To prevent other family members from becoming infected from a sick child, special measures must be taken.Shoes and toys should be treated with antiseptics, and bedding should be ironed with a hot iron.
The fungus in a breastfeeding woman is dangerous for the baby.But treatment in this case is possible only locally, since antifungal drugs penetrate into the milk during breastfeeding.This is harmful to the child.A woman can complete the entire course of treatment when she weans her baby.
Prevent fungal foot infections
The reasons for fungal reinfection often lie in the fact that prevention of the disease is not carried out.Prevention of onychomycosis includes the following measures.
- Wear comfortable shoes made from natural materials, especially in hot weather.
- Daily change of socks, hold-ups, tights.They should be washed daily and, if possible, ironed.
- In the swimming pool and sauna, make sure you wear slippers and do not walk barefoot.
- Never wear someone else's shoes - this is especially important for a child.
- All pedicure tools and foot towels must be individual.
If there is a patient suffering from onychomycosis in the family, it is necessary to carry out targeted prevention of infection of other family members.To do this, the patient must use local antifungal agents: paints, creams, sprays.They help prevent the spread of spores as a cause of infection.
The patient's shoes and insoles must be treated.Each shoe must be cleaned inside and out with a disinfectant solution.This can be 25% formaldehyde or a 40% solution of ordinary acetic acid.There is a special spray for antifungal treatment of shoes.After the shoes are cleaned, a swab is placed inside and the shoes are wrapped in a plastic bag for a day.Then it is necessary to clean each shoe with ammonia and ventilate.
The patient should choose stockings and tights made from natural materials.Every time you wash them, you need to boil them with soap and soda for 20 minutes.A solution of soap and soda is prepared as follows: 50 grams of detergent is diluted in 10 liters of water and 200 grams of soda is added.
Prevention will prevent disease among family members and reinfection of the patient himself.