If the nail plates are affected by a fungus, this obviously will not decorate the toenails.But every fifth person encounters this disease at least once in their life.The nail changes color, thickens, and crumbles.Symptoms of a fungal infection may be erased, and treatment is not prescribed in a timely manner.
When the immune system is weakened, fungus from the nails can spread to the skin of the foot.And in some cases, fungi can spread through the bloodstream and cause damage to internal organs.Fungal infection is a common cause of allergization 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 accuracy.Despite the apparent non-seriousness of the disease, it is important to recognize foot fungus in time and be sure to treat it.
Causes of fungal nail infections
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 several times more often on the feet than on the hands.This is due to the fact that the feet are more often injured and come into more contact with contaminated surfaces.Nail fungus appears on the toes and on the hands in the same way.
You can become infected with fungus in common areas where people walk barefoot.These are beaches, swimming pools, baths, saunas, gyms, showers.Skin flakes containing fungal spores peel off from the legs of a sick person.The spores are very resilient and can remain viable for years.Fungi especially love moist environments and wooden surfaces.
When it comes into contact with the skin of a healthy person, the spores are 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 household members, especially children.
In one family, the disease is more likely to develop in one of the parents and in 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 obvious.Depending on how the affected nail looks, three forms of the disease are distinguished: normotrophic, hypertrophic and atrophic.
| Form of 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 opaque and loose.Over time, it changes shape and looks like a “bird's 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 completely collapse. |
At the site of infection penetration into the nail, distal-lateral, proximal, total and superficial onychomycosis are distinguished.Distal-lateral onychomycosis is 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 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 across the surface of the nail.The total variant is the outcome 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 of 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 looks dull, thickens or crumbles.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 on a nutrient medium in order 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 initial 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 treatment for the body just like that!
Treatment of fungal infection includes a number of measures:
- removal of the affected nail;
- taking antifungal drugs;
- 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 medications through it cannot penetrate into the subungual layer.You can remove the affected nail using a special patch.The patient can perform this removal independently.A special mass is applied to the nail plate, secured with a plaster, and after two days it is removed.The nail plate can be removed by scraping it off layer by layer.
However, it has been proven that treatment is more effective when the nail is surgically removed.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 therapy.
Treatment with antifungal drugs is carried out for 3–6 months.For local treatment of the subungual area, pharmacies have 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 complement the treatment.All these measures make it possible to increase the blood supply to the foot and increase the delivery of medicinal substances to the site of fungal infection.
Even if all the symptoms have disappeared, 2 and 4 months after treatment is completed, it is necessary to take control tests to determine whether there is a relapse.
The reasons for ineffective treatment may vary.Perhaps the fungus is insensitive to the drug used for therapy.It happens that a person does not fully comply with medical recommendations.Re-infection is possible.
Onychomycosis of the feet in children
The risk of infection for a child is primarily associated with fungal infections among 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 proceed faster.Therefore, nails grow back faster than the fungus spreads over them, and the child may not develop the disease.
In children, the symptoms of the disease are no different from those in adults, and the principles of treatment apply 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 for 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.
Fungus in a woman who is breastfeeding is dangerous for the baby.But treatment in this case is only possible locally, since antifungal drugs penetrate into the milk during breastfeeding.This is harmful for the child.A woman can complete the full course of treatment when she weans her baby.
Preventing fungal foot infections
The reasons for re-infection with the fungus often lie in the fact that disease prevention is not carried out.Prevention of onychomycosis includes the following measures.
- Wearing comfortable shoes made from natural materials, especially in the hot season.
- Daily change of socks, stockings, tights.They should be washed daily and, if possible, ironed.
- In the pool and sauna, be sure to wear slippers on your feet and 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 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 need to be treated.Each piece of footwear must be wiped inside and outside with a disinfectant solution.This can be 25% formaldehyde or 40% solution of ordinary acetic acid.There is a special spray for antifungal treatment of shoes.After the shoes have been wiped, a tampon is inserted inside and the shoes are wrapped in a plastic bag for a day.Then you need to wipe each piece of footwear with ammonia and ventilate.
The patient should choose socks and tights made from natural materials.Each time you wash them, you need to boil them with soap and soda for 20 minutes.A soap-soda solution is prepared as follows: 50 grams of detergent are diluted in 10 liters of water and 200 grams of soda are added.
Prevention will prevent illness among family members and re-infection of the patient himself.