Nail fungus - onychomycosis - is a common nail disease, from which, according to various authors, one fifth of the population suffers. Most often it affects the elderly and in age groups with a difference of 10 years its frequency increases by 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 becomes chronic, threatening all family members with infection.
How to recognize nail fungus: symptoms of a fungus
A warm, humid environment is the best place for fungal infections to develop. And the climate doesn't have to be hot; for example, you can create favorable conditions for fungi 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, who does not control the condition of the nails, or someone who has not taken the treatment measures to complete recovery. About a third of patients who go to 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 they 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 need to be barefoot in public places is also important. Thus, one of the studies revealed a higher prevalence of nail diseases (onychomycosis) among professional swimmers and another among mosque visitors (where shoe-free is required), compared to 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 the long-term use of cytostatics, corticosteroids, antibiotics. This is due to the reduced immunity in such patients and the imbalance of microflora (with antibiotic therapy).
In summary, the following predisposing factors of nail fungus can be distinguished:
- permanent injury to the nail plate and skin on the feet (mainly due to uncomfortable shoes);
- frequent contact with water (especially in public places);
- increased sweating, including due to the need to constantly wear warm or synthetic shoes;
- foot deformities, including flat feet;
- reduced rate of nail growth - this is exactly why nail fungus prevails in the elderly: the older a person is, the slower his nails grow.
At first, the fungus colonizes only part of the nail, coming to it from the foot or 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.
- Nail discoloration.A normal nail is pale pink, translucent with a white border. Affected - it completely loses its transparency, turns 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 causes the patient to constantly hide his legs, walk in closed shoes even in hot weather, which aggravates the problem.
Treatment for onychomycosis
Traditional methods of treating onychomycosis are extremely diverse. What is not recommended to lubricate the ailing nail: vinegar, soda or saline solution, iodine, coffee, apricot gum, tea tree oil and so on. Unfortunately, most of these remedies are ineffective. First, the substances proposed for treatment for the most part do not have antifungal activity. Secondly, to infect the fungus, the medicine 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 medicine should, as it were, saturate the nail plate during the entire growth period of the nail, otherwise the colony of fungi 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 drugs are drugs that are taken orally. In general, these are the same drugs prescribed for fungal infections of other localizations: thrush, extensive lesions of the skin or intestines, systemic mycoses. They are quite effective, but relatively toxic and negatively affect the whole body with prolonged use (and nail fungus treatment 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 hair lesions;
- unsuccessful local treatment.
Medicines for the systemic treatment of fungal infections are sold by prescription only. It also prescribes a course of treatment, since the drugs must be taken several times according to a certain scheme to maintain the required concentration of the active substance in the nail plate.
Local remedies are presented in various forms: paints, ointments, sprays, solutions. However, medicated paints can only be used at the initial stage of the disease, so they will not be effective. And ointments and sprays are more suitable for treating fungal infections of the skin rather than the nails. So the best topical remedy is liquid medicines. The solutions allow you to create a higher concentration of the active ingredient in the places where the fungal infection accumulates, and not on the surface of the nail.
Hence, the treatment of nail fungus is a long process that requires accuracy and patience, however, modern drugs and treatment regimens make it possible to completely get rid of nail fungus and prevent its recurrence. You should not ignore the problem, because in this case the health and quality of life not only of the sick person, but also of his loved ones are at risk.