Contents
What is onychomycosis?
Onychomycosis is a fungal disease of the nail. 10-15% of the population suffers from this disease, and among people over 60 years old, it occurs in almost 30%. Onychomycosis is a long-lived focus of a fungal infection that spreads well and sensitizes the body, for this reason, the main goal of treating fungal infections is the complete elimination of the pathogen.
Types of onychomycosis
There are three types of onychomycosis:
normotrophic – the color of the nails changes, stripes and spots appear, but the shine and thickness of the nail remain normal;
hypertrophic – the color of the nail changes, the shine disappears, the nail thickens and deforms. It happens that the nail collapses along the edges;
Onycholytic (atrophic) – part of the affected nail atrophies and is torn away from the nail bed.
Causes of onychomycosis
The cause of onychomycosis can be household items: bath mats, washcloths, manicure accessories, shoes – when visiting the pool, bath, sauna, shower, gym. Onychomycosis can affect people of any age. Over the past ten years, the incidence has increased among children and adolescents.
Various injuries, fractures of the bones of the feet, hands, circulatory disorders in the extremities (Raynaud’s disease, varicose veins, and others) can contribute to the occurrence of onychomycosis. In people suffering from severe somatic and endocrine diseases and immune disorders, the risk of getting sick is higher and the course of the disease is more severe. In diabetic patients, the frequency of foot mycosis with nail involvement is almost three times higher than in other people.
With onychomycosis, not only the nail changes, but an allergic restructuring of the body also occurs. In addition, mushrooms are capable of releasing toxins.
Diagnostics
It is not always visually possible to state that it is affected by a fungal infection by the appearance of the nail. For accurate diagnosis, it is necessary to send a small section of the cut nail for microscopic examination.
For the most successful treatment, it is necessary to clarify the type of pathogen. To do this, pathological material must be sown on a special nutrient medium.
Prevention of onychomycosis
Prevention of onychomycosis is based on personal and social activities and health education. Equally important is the dispensary observation of patients. Clinical examination of patients with mycoses of the feet is carried out by dermatologists. This event includes the detection of the disease at an early stage and the treatment of patients in the family, at work, in children’s institutions. Control the systematic treatment and further monitoring of patients who have completed treatment. In the foci of infection, anti-epidemic and disinfection measures are carried out, as well as sanitary and educational work.
It is very important to follow the rules of personal hygiene for foot skin care: you should not allow microtrauma, get rid of excessive sweating of the legs and diaper rash (powder with boric acid and talc, pure urotropine, treatment with a 40% solution of urotropine), It is necessary to eliminate dry skin, calluses. When visiting baths, saunas, showers, swimming pools, put on closed rubber slippers on your feet. Dry your feet after washing and change socks and stockings every day. Since mushrooms live in pebbles and sand for a long time, it is also necessary to wear slippers on the beach, do not wear someone else’s shoes. It is important to treat dystrophic changes in the nails in a timely manner, since the nails are less protected from the penetration of the infectious agent. With proper and careful observance of all the rules, such an unpleasant disease as onychomycosis can be avoided.