Fungal diseases of the skin and nails belong to the group of human infectious diseases caused by disease -causing fungi. Fungal infections (mycoses) are different. There are very severe forms of infection with high mortality rates. However, not many people suffer from them. Nail mycosis is not one of them and it is impossible to die straight from it. But fungal infections of the skin and nails are one of the most common fungal diseases. It is an infectious disease that spreads from person to person.
What is Nail Fungus Like?
Many people do not notice changes in the nail plate, very often considering these changes as a result of trauma or age characteristics. Fungal nail disease has many different manifestations. But as a rule, changes in the nails with fungal diseases have three main manifestations: discoloration of the nail plate, its thickening, crumbling or crumbling.
Fungus or not fungus?
So, you can see some changes in the skin or nail plate. There is still a decision to determine whether it is a fungus or not.
There are many non -fungal diseases of the skin and nails - a few hundred to name. However, according to statistics, every second nail disease is fungal. That is, if your nails are replaced, the chances of getting nail fungus are 50%, regardless of any manifestations and factors. But what about foot skin disease? They obey the same law of probability. That is, most wounds on the skin of the feet are fungal. Remember, untreated fungus on the skin of the feet will sooner or later turn into nail fungus. And it is not so easy to get rid of nail fungus. Don't be fooled. If you suspect you have skin or nail disease, contact your mycologist!
Although most nail changes turn into fungus, the nature of these changes should be taken into account. Here it should be noted, first of all, chronic nail trauma. Changes in the nails can occur with some common skin diseases, internal infectious diseases, nerve lesions, endocrine, cardiovascular system, various types of intoxication, and even dystrophy. Finally, nail changes can be congenital. These nail changes are externally similar to a fungal infection, but are not. Treatment with antifungal drugs for non -fungal nail diseases, of course, will not be successful. This is another reason to consult a mycologist, and don’t try to cure yourself for any nail changes.
Can you recognize nail fungus yourself?
No, you can't! And no professional doctor, no matter how experienced, will treat a fungal disease without confirming the diagnosis in the laboratory, even if there are signs of fungus on the feet of the most common. Laboratory validation is a prerequisite for any fungal disease. In short, if the lab finds fungus on a fragment of skin or a piece of nail taken for analysis, then this is a fungal disease.
Dilemma: to treat or not to treat the fungus?
Some people have doubts as to whether it is worth doing nail fungus treatment at all. Many argue the following: does the treatment of fungal diseases require money? Requires. How long does it take to be treated? Maybe it's been a long time. If so, why should it be treated for mycosis? Do the same replaced nails, because eventually they can be hidden. . .
Is this game worth a candle? Why do you need mycosis treatment? Let's try to understand this problem. . . Once started, the fungal infection will not get anywhere until the fungus is destroyed. The fungus is very durable and can survive for months in the crust of fallen skin. So what can you expect from the fungus hiding in the nails? First, the fungal cells enter the skin, become fixed, multiply and spread on it, and then, in good condition, are inserted into the nail. Over time, the fungus invades all parts of the nail and spreads to the nail or other skin. Nail fungus is a nest and source of infection on other parts of the body. While all of the fungal focus on the skin of the foot or trunk is healed, re -infection will come from the remnants of the infection on the nail.
Fungal nail disease impairs quality of life. Research conducted by the National Academy of Mycology has shown that the presence of nail fungus or foot mycosis significantly reduces quality of life - a set of indicators that characterize a person’s emotional, mental and social well -being. It turns out that the quality of life in the event of fungal nail disease decreases on average to 50-55% of the full value typical for healthy people. At the same time, patients noted not only physical discomfort associated with nail thickening or damage, but also experienced a variety of negative experiences, fears, and emotions. It was found that nail fungus greatly restricts a person's activities, interferes with rest, sports, communication with others. Moreover, feelings of discomfort and embarrassment due to the condition of their nails sometimes prevent them from seeing a doctor on time. The longer the disease lasts, the worse the nail fungus, and the worse the quality of life.
In addition to reducing quality of life, fungi lead to certain health problems. The first and foremost health problem, caused by the presence of nail mycosis, is the fungus itself - a chronic infectious disease that continues to damage nails, and threatens to spread to people around them, especially to family members of patients. The presence of relatives with the fungus, by the way, is observed by at least 1/3 of patients with nail damage. According to medical statistics and epidemiological studies, in Russia, the presence of fungal nail disease can be expected in almost every fifth adult. At the same time, the incidence in the last 10 years has increased by 2. 5 times. Further increase in incidence is expected. At the same time, the likelihood of the presence of the fungus increases with age: about 2 times for every 10 years of life.
Untreated nail mycosis and foot mycosis are considered gateways to other infectious diseases - for example, bacterial - erysipelas. Fungal nail infections significantly complicate the course of diabetes mellitus and can lead to serious complications.
Allergy to the human body with fungal infections is possible - the formation of hypersensitivity to fungi as allergens, namely fungal allergies. Possible development or exacerbation of diseases such as bronchial asthma, allergic dermatitis, various rashes and skin reactions may occur.
In very rare cases, as a rule, against the background of immune deficiency, untreated nail fungus leads to the development of deep mycosis - the proliferation or penetration of the fungus with blood into internal organs, which leads to death. Fortunately, most modern nail fungus patients do not have such results. But even if you exclude the possibility of them completely, you can not leave fungal diseases on the nails without treatment. It is impossible to treat scabies, head lice and other infectious diseases. If you suspect nail fungus, we advise you to see a doctor as soon as possible.
Although we reasoned this way, the fungus on a person’s nails may move forward by a few fractions of a millimeter. This is his job, a small business, to say the least. Fungi do this all the time, day after day. Days increase to weeks, weeks to months, months to years. Over the years, the disease gets worse if the fungus is left untreated. In one of the most recent studies, it was shown that every 5 years the severity of onychomycosis increased by several points on a special scale. This means that new nails are exposed to the fungus, and in each of the affected areas and the degree of thickening grows. This means that the negative effects of mycosis on health and quality of life will be even stronger. This is a proven fact. But that's not all. The worse the fungal infection on the nails, the harder it is to treat. If in the early stages of infection antifungal varnish or nail solution can help, then after a few years, antifungal pills can not be removed. The longer the disease lasts, the longer they need to be taken (and more to buy). And after ten to twenty years, as a rule, only the removal of nail plates, coupled with these funds, will help.
See a doctor as early as possible. Each year you give a delay to the fungus, you extend the duration of treatment and necessary observation, add large doses of medication, make the necessary nail processing. Don’t make a big mistake - don’t take systemic medication on your own! If fungal diseases of the nails do not cause the above -mentioned changes, then, in fact, fungal treatment will be a problem only on a person's appearance. Then we will put healthy nails on the same list with white teeth, clean skin, and odorless. And the question of the cost of mycosis treatment would be like this: Are you willing to give money to get back uneaten, not thickened and unwanted nails? However, the problem is not the only one. Are you willing to pay to protect your family from athlete’s foot? Do you want to regain your previous quality of life? Can you stop the spread of infection today?