Nail fungus - onychomycosis - is a common nail disease, from which, according to various authors, a fifth of the population suffers. It most often affects the elderly, and in the age groups with a difference of 10 years the frequency increases approximately 2, 5 times. This is not just an aesthetic defect, because in the case of a sudden decrease in immunity and the addition of a bacterial infection, serious complications can develop, for example, erysipelas, and in the absence of attention to the problem, the disease becomes chronic, threatening all family members with infection.
How to recognize onychomycosis: symptoms of the fungus
A warm and humid environment is the best place to develop fungal infections. And the climate doesn’t have to be hot; for example, you can create favorable conditions for fungus by wearing shoes that sweat on your feet.
The source of infection is usually another person who is not involved in the treatment of onychomycosis, does not monitor the condition of the nails or someone who has not taken treatment measures to complete recovery. Approximately one third of patients who visit a doctor have such a patient in their family. At the same time, according to statistics, men get sick two to three times more often than women, but they seek medical help less often.
As we have already said, the development of nail fungus is facilitated by the need to stay in warm or uncomfortable shoes for a long time - onychomycosis is widespread among miners, metallurgical workers and military personnel. The need for barefootness in public places is also important. Thus, one study found a higher prevalence of nail disease (onychomycosis) among professional swimmers and another among mosque visitors (where you need to be without shoes), compared to the main age-appropriate population.
In addition, the probability of fungal nail infection increases in people with diabetes mellitus, blood diseases, HIV, as well as with long-term use of cytostatics, corticosteroids and antibiotics. This is due to reduced immunity in such patients and imbalance of the microflora (with antibiotic therapy).
In short, the following predisposing factors for nail fungus can be distinguished:
- permanent injuries to the nail plate and skin of the feet (primarily due to uncomfortable shoes);
- frequent contact with water (especially in public places);
- increased sweating, including due to the need to be constantly in warm or synthetic shoes;
- foot deformities, including flat feet;
- reduced nail growth rate - this is exactly why onychomycosis is prevalent in the elderly: the older a person is, the slower the nails grow.
Initially, the fungus colonizes only part of the nail, reaching from the feet or from the interdigital folds, but gradually spreads to the entire nail plate. The fungus penetrates under the nail plate on the side of the free edge of the nail or under the nail roller. Depending on the localization and manifestation of the symptoms of onychomycosis (from one or the other edge of the nail), dermatovenerologists distinguish between different forms of fungal infection and its stages.
- Nail discoloration.The normal nail is pale pink, translucent with a white border. Diseased - completely loses its transparency, becomes white, gray, brown, green or black (depending on the neglect of the process and the type of fungal agent).
- Nail thickening.Due to the excessive growth of the stratum corneum in response to fungal ingestion, the nail becomes thick and uneven.
- Destruction of the nail plate (onycholysis).The nail crumbles, partially or completely peels.
At the beginning, these manifestations can be subtle, but as the fungus develops, the nail becomes less and less aesthetic. Often because of that, the patient constantly hides his legs, walks in closed shoes even in the heat, which worsens the problem.
Treatment of onychomycosis
Traditional methods of treating onychomycosis are extremely diverse. What is not suggested for lubrication of long-lasting nails: vinegar, soda or saline, iodine, coffee, apricot gum, tea tree oil and so on. Unfortunately, most of these drugs are ineffective. First, the substances proposed for treatment mostly do not have antifungal action. Second, to infect the fungus, the drug must penetrate into the thickness of the nail plate and under the nail, because the fungus there, not on the surface, "lives". Moreover, the drug should seem to saturate the nail plate throughout the nail growth period, otherwise it willfungal colonies expand to a new surface.
Based on the above, pharmacologists create drugs to treat nail fungus. But here it must be said that drugs against onychomycosis can be both local and systemic. Systemic medications are medications that are taken by mouth. These are mainly the same drugs that are prescribed for fungal infections of other localizations: thrush, extensive skin or intestinal lesions, systemic mycoses. They are quite effective, but relatively toxic and have a detrimental effect on the whole body with prolonged use (and the treatment of nail fungus takes more than a month). Therefore, oral agents have strict indications:
- damage to more than half of the nail;
- proximal spread of the fungus (on the side of the nail fold);
- damage to more than two nails;
- combination with skin or hair lesions;
- unsuccessful local treatment.
Medicines for the systemic therapy of fungal infections are sold only with a doctor's prescription. It also prescribes a course of treatment, because the drugs must be taken several times according to a certain scheme in order to maintain the required concentration of the active substance in the nail plate.
Topical drugs are presented in different forms: varnishes, ointments, sprays, solutions. However, medicinal varnishes can be used only in the initial stage of the disease, then they will not be effective. And ointments and sprays are more suitable for treating fungal infections of the skin rather than nails. So the best topical medicine is liquid medicine. The solutions allow the creation of a higher concentration of the active substance in the places where the fungal infection accumulates, and not on the surface of the nail.
So, treating nail fungus is a long process that requires accuracy and patience, however, modern medications and treatment regimens allow you to completely get rid of onychomycosis and prevent its recurrence. You should not ignore the problem, because in this case, the health and quality of life are not only of the sick person, but also of their loved ones.