Nail fungus - onychomycosis - is a common nail disease, from which, according to various authors, a fifth of the population suffers. Most often, it affects the elderly, and in age groups with a difference of 10 years, its frequency increases approximately 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 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 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 the 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 the treatment measures to complete recovery. Approximately one third of patients who see 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 less often seek medical help.
The development of nail fungus is facilitated, as we have already said, 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 necessity of being barefoot in public places also matters. Thus, one of the studies revealed a greater prevalence of nail disease (onychomycosis) among professional swimmers, and another among mosque visitors (where you need to be without shoes), in comparison with the main population of the corresponding age.
In addition, the likelihood of fungal nail infection increases in people with diabetes mellitus, blood diseases, HIV, as well as in long-term use of cytostatics, corticosteroids, antibiotics. This is due to reduced immunity in such patients and imbalance of microflora (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 (primarily due to uncomfortable shoes);
- frequent contact with water (especially in public places);
- increased sweating, including due to the need to constantly be in warm or synthetic shoes;
- deformities of the foot, including flat feet;
- reduced rate of nail growth - this is precisely why onychomycosis prevails in the elderly: the older a person is, the slower his nails grow.
At first, the fungus colonizes only part of the nail, getting there from the foot or from the interdigital folds, but gradually 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 localization and manifestation of the symptoms of onychomycosis (from one or another edge of the nails), dermatovenerologists distinguish between different forms of fungal infection and its stages.
- Discoloration of nails.A normal nail is pale pink, translucent with a white edge. Affected - completely loses its transparency, becomes white, gray, brown, green or black (depending on the neglect of the process and the type of fungal pathogen).
- Thickening of the nail.Due to the excessive growth 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 makes the patient constantly hide his legs, walk in closed shoes even in the heat, which aggravates the problem.
Treatment for onychomycosis
Traditional methods of treatment of onychomycosis are extremely diverse. What is not suggested to lubricate the long-suffering nail: vinegar, soda or saline solution, iodine, coffee, apricot gum, tea tree oil and so on. Unfortunately, most of these remedies are ineffective. Firstly, the substances proposed for treatment for the most part do not have antifungal activity. Secondly, in order to infect the fungus, the medicine must penetrate into the thickness of the nail plate and under the nail, because it is there, and not on the surface, that the fungus "lives". Moreover, the medicine should, as it were, saturate the nail plate throughout the entire period of nail growth, otherwise the colony of fungi will spread to the new surface.
Based on the foregoing, 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. By and large, these are 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 adversely affect the entire body with prolonged use (and the treatment of nail fungus takes more than one 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 hair lesions;
- unsuccessful local treatment.
Medicines for the systemic therapy of fungal infections are sold only with a doctor's prescription. He also prescribes a course of treatment, since medications have to be taken several times according to a certain scheme in order to maintain the required concentration of the active substance in the nail plate.
Local remedies are presented in various forms: varnishes, ointments, sprays, solutions. However, medicated varnishes can be used only at the very 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 remedy is liquid medicines. The 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.
So, the treatment of nail fungus is a long process that requires accuracy 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 his loved ones are at risk.