If the nail plates are affected by fungus, this obviously will not decorate the toenails.But one in five people face 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 on time.
When the immune system is weakened, toenail fungus can spread to the skin of the foot.And in some cases, fungi can spread into the bloodstream and damage internal organs.Fungal infection is a common cause of allergization and exacerbation of many diseases, for example, bronchial asthma.A sick person is dangerous for others, especially children.
Treating a fungal nail infection is not an easy task.The patient will need perseverance and precision.Despite the apparent non-seriousness of the disease, it is important to recognize foot fungus in time and take care of its treatment.
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 grow in human skin or nails.Onychomycosis, a nail fungus, occurs several times more often on the feet than on the hands.This is due to the fact that the feet are injured more often and come into contact with contaminated surfaces more.Nail fungus appears the same on the toes and hands.
You can become infected with fungus in common areas where people walk barefoot.These are beaches, swimming pools, baths, saunas, gyms, showers.Flakes of skin containing fungal spores shed from the legs of a sick person.The spores are very resistant and can remain viable for years.Mushrooms particularly like humid environments and wooden surfaces.
Upon 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 fingernails.A sick person, in turn, becomes a source of infection for household 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 are a genetic predisposition.
Signs and types of diseases
Toenail disease is not difficult to recognize;its symptoms are obvious.Depending on the appearance of the affected nail, three forms of the disease are distinguished: normotrophic, hypertrophic and atrophic.
| Lesion form | 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 opaque and loose.Over time, it changes shape and resembles a “bird’s claw”.This phenomenon is called gryphosis. |
| Atrophic. | Destruction of nails.The nail becomes dull, crumbles and the nail bed is exposed.Over time, the nail plate may completely collapse. |
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 through its free end and affects the free edge of the nail and the nail bends to the right and left of the nail bed.In the proximal version, the growing part of the nail opposite 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 scattered on the surface of the nail.The total variant is the result of some form, when the fungus has spread and the entire nail is completely affected.
The first signs of the disease appear in the foot, because 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 nail damage: the appearance of spots on the nail plate.The spots may be white, yellowish, or blue-black, which is typical of mold.Subsequently, the fungus penetrates deeper, the affected nail appears dull, thickens or crumbles.Adjacent nail plates are affected.
To accurately determine the causes of the disease, microscopy of nail scrapings is carried out.Some laboratories have the possibility of inoculating this material onto a nutrient medium in order to cultivate and study the culture of the fungus.
How does the treatment take place?
Treatment for a fungal infection should be started as soon as the first signs of the disease can be recognized.At the same time, treatment cannot begin until confirmation is received that the cause of the disease is a fungus.You should not carry out expensive and harmful treatments for the body like this!
Treatment of a fungal infection includes a number of measures:
- removal of the affected nail;
- take antifungal medications;
- treatment of the nail bed with local agents;
- additional treatment methods: laser irradiation, physiotherapy, vascular agents.
Nail removal is carried out when the nail plate is thickened and drugs passing through it cannot penetrate into the subungual layer.You can remove the affected nail using a special patch.The patient can carry out this removal independently.A special mass is applied to the nail plate, fixed with a bandage, and after two days it is removed.The nail plate can be removed by scraping it off layer by layer.
However, treatment has been proven to be most effective when the nail is surgically removed.The surgeon removes the nail under local anesthesia.The nail plate can usually be removed using pliers.Removing the nail significantly increases the effectiveness of the treatment.
Treatment with antifungal drugs is carried out for 3-6 months.For local treatment of the subungual area, pharmacies have different types of preparations in the form of varnishes, sprays and lotions.It is best to choose a medication that contains the same active ingredient that the patient takes orally.Physiotherapy and vascular medications complete the treatment.All these measures make it possible to increase the blood supply to the foot and increase the supply of medicinal substances to the site of fungal infection.
Even if all symptoms have disappeared, 2 and 4 months after the end of treatment, it is necessary to carry out control tests to determine if there is a relapse.
The reasons for ineffective treatment may vary.Perhaps the fungus is insensitive to the drug used in 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 in adults in the family.Children are often infected in swimming pools.In children, the immune defense is not formed, so the risk of infection for a child is higher than for an adult.At the same time, regeneration processes in children take place faster.As a result, 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 do not differ from those in 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 damp.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 for young children.
To prevent other family members from being infected by a sick child, special measures should be taken.Shoes and toys should be treated with antiseptics, and bedding should be ironed with a hot iron.
Mushrooms in a breastfeeding woman are dangerous for the baby.But in this case, treatment is possible only locally, since antifungal drugs enter milk during breastfeeding.This is harmful to the child.A woman can complete the full treatment when she weans her baby.
Preventing fungal foot infections
The reasons for reinfection with the fungus 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 during the hot season.
- Daily change of socks, stockings, tights.They should be washed daily and, if possible, ironed.
- In the swimming pool and sauna, be sure to wear slippers on your feet and not go 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 with onychomycosis in the family, targeted prevention of infection of other family members should be carried out.To do this, the patient must use local antifungal agents: varnishes, creams, sprays.They help prevent the spread of spores as a cause of infection.
The patient's shoes and insoles should be treated.Each shoe should be wiped 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 wiped, a pad is inserted inside and the shoes are wrapped in a plastic bag for a day.Next, you need to wipe each shoe with ammonia and air it out.
The patient should choose socks 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 help avoid illness among family members and reinfection of the patient himself.