Nail fungus, onychomycosis, is a common nail disease that, according to several authors, suffers from a fifth of the population. In most cases, it affects the elderly, and in age groups with a difference of 10 years, its frequency increases about 2. 5 times. This is not only an aesthetic drawback, since in the case of a sharp 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 it becomes chronic. , threatening all family members with infection.
How to recognize onychomycosis: symptoms of a fungus
A warm and humid environment is the best place to develop yeast infections. And the weather doesn't have to be hot; For example, you can create favorable conditions for fungi by wearing shoes that sweat your feet.
The source of the infection is usually another person who is not involved in the treatment of onychomycosis, who does not control the condition of the nails or someone who has not taken treatment measures to complete the recovery. About a third of patients who consult a doctor have it in their family. At the same time, according to statistics, men get sick two to three times more often than women, but less often seek medical help.
The development of nail fungus is facilitated, as we already said, by the need to remain in hot or uncomfortable shoes for a long time; onychomycosis is widespread among miners, metal workers, and military personnel. Also important is the need to be barefoot in public places. Thus, one of the studies revealed a higher prevalence of nail disease (onychomycosis) among professional swimmers, and another among visitors to the mosque (where it is necessary to be without shoes), compared to the main population of the corresponding age .
In addition, the probability of nail fungal infection increases in people with diabetes mellitus, blood diseases, HIV, as well as in the long-term use of cytostatics, corticosteroids and antibiotics. This is due to reduced immunity in these patients and microflora imbalance (with antibiotic therapy).
In summary, the following predisposing factors of nail fungus can be distinguished:
- permanent injuries to the nail plate and the skin of the feet (mainly due to uncomfortable shoes);
- frequent contact with water (especially in public places);
- increased sweating, even due to the need to constantly be in hot or synthetic shoes;
- foot deformities, including flat feet;
- Reduced rate of nail growth - this is precisely why onychomycosis is prevalent in the elderly: the older a person is, the slower their nails grow.
At first, the fungus colonizes only a part of the nail, arriving from the foot or from the interdigital folds, but gradually it spreads to the entire nail plate. The fungus penetrates under the nail plate from the side of the free edge of the nail or from under the nail roller. Depending on the location and manifestation of the symptoms of onychomycosis (of one or the other edge of the nails), dermatovenerologists distinguish between different forms of fungal infection and their stages.
- Nail discoloration.A normal nail is pale pink, translucent with a white edge. Affected - completely loses its transparency, turns white, gray, brown, green or black (depending on the negligence of the process and the type of fungal pathogen).
- Thickening of the nail.Due to the overgrowth of the stratum corneum in response to the introduction of the fungus, the nail becomes thick and uneven.
- Destruction of the nail plate (onycholysis).The nail crumbles, partially or completely exfoliates.
At first, these manifestations may be subtle, but as the fungus develops, the nail becomes less and less aesthetic. Often this causes the patient to constantly hide his legs, walk in closed shoes even in the heat, which aggravates the problem.
Treatment of onychomycosis
Traditional methods of treating onychomycosis are extremely diverse. What is not suggested to lubricate the suffered nail: vinegar, soda or saline, iodine, coffee, apricot gum, tea tree oil, etc. Unfortunately, most of these remedies are ineffective. First of all, the substances proposed for treatment for the most part do not have antifungal activity. Second, to infect the fungus, the drug must penetrate the thickness of the nail plate and under the nail, because it is there, and not on the surface, that the fungus "lives". In addition, the drug should, as it were, saturate the nail plate for the entire period of nail growth, otherwise the fungal colony will spread to the new surface.
Based on the above, pharmacologists create remedies for the treatment of 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. In general, these are the same drugs that are prescribed for fungal infections of other sites: thrush, extensive skin or intestinal lesions, systemic mycoses. They are quite effective, but relatively toxic and adversely affect the entire 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 (from the side of the nail fold);
- damage to more than two nails;
- combination with skin or capillary lesions;
- failed local treatment.
Medications for systemic therapy of yeast infections are sold only with a prescription. He also prescribes a course of treatment, since the drugs must be taken several times according to a certain scheme in order to maintain the required concentration of the active substance on the nail plate.
Local remedies come in various 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 better suited to treating fungal skin infections than nails. So the best topical remedy is liquid medications. Solutions allow you to create a higher concentration of the active substance in the places where the fungal infection accumulates, and not on the surface of the nail.
Therefore, treating nail fungus is a long process that requires precision and patience; However, modern drugs 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 of not only the sick person, but also their loved ones are at risk.