Dermatological diseases are nowadays a significant percentage of the diseases faced by a growing number of people every day.The rapid spread of diseases related to disruption of the integrity of the skin and the functions of the epithelial tissue is caused not only by the ever-increasing number of pathogens in the external environment, but also by lifestyle, everyday life and bad habits.
What is fungus and why does it appear?
Fungal skin diseases rank second in frequency of occurrence after purulent lesions of the skin, which are called pyoderma.Fungal infections have specific pathogens - fungal microorganisms, which determine the development of fungal skin lesions only in a pathogenic form or state.
Since fungi are part of our environment and usually do not show their presence in any way, they are opportunistic microorganisms that acquire a pathological form due to a change in environmental conditions suitable for reproduction and in case of weakening of the immune defense of the human body.
Foot fungus is characterized by two types of diseases - dermatomycosis, which directly affects the skin of the heel, toes, metatarsal or sole, and onychomycosis, which affects the nail folds, nail plates and the epidermis under them.The causative agents of onychomycosis are able to increase the area of infection, spreading to nearby skin tissues.
Foot fungus can be transmitted directly, for example, by walking barefoot on soil inhabited by fungal microorganisms, through infected plants or during close contact with a person or animal sick with mycosis.The indirect route of infection with fungal diseases includes the development of a fungal infection due to the use of personal hygiene items belonging to a person suffering from a fungus, through his clothes and bedding, as well as when using patient care items.
The varying degrees of susceptibility to pathogens of fungal diseases in each individual is due to many factors that can affect the tendency to develop infectious diseases and the nature of the disease.
Children under 10-12 are considered the most vulnerable age group.Most often, dermatologists diagnose infectious diseases caused by pathogenic fungal microorganisms in children, since their outer skin is still quite thin, which allows fungi to more easily feed on keratin, a specific skin protein that is a component of epithelial tissue.
In children, the immune defense mechanisms are still at the stage of development and are not able to protect the body from the penetration of pathogenic microflora, as well as the developed immune system protects it, so the children's body is at constant risk of infection from various diseases and pathologies.
Athletes belong to the group of people who often find themselves in conditions of constant proliferation of fungi on the skin of the feet.Changing rooms and showers, often used by athletes before and after training, are an ideal environment for the intensive activity of fungal microorganisms, as the increased air temperature and increased moisture concentration are the optimal conditions for the activation of the pathogenic form of the fungus.
That is why excessive sweating of the feet often precedes the development of a fungal infection on the skin of the feet, which can be due to the constant use of uncomfortable tight shoes that do not allow air flow.Constant sweating of the feet can be determined by the specific composition of the genetic material and can also be one of the external symptoms of diseases or pathologies present in the body.
Another impetus for the development of a fungal disease on the skin of the feet can be a change in the usual composition of the secretion of the sweat glands (water, uric acid, ammonia, amino acids and fatty acids) to a more toxic one for our body and more suitable for the activation of the fungus.Pathological changes in the composition of sweat have a particularly favorable effect on the development of infectious diseases caused by fungi of the genus Candida or yeast-like fungi.
Disturbances in the normal functioning of the nervous and endocrine systems, as well as the gastrointestinal tract, are fraught with a decrease in the basic metabolism in the body, which negatively affects the activity of the organs of other systems and the course of the defense mechanisms of the immune system.Since a weakened body cannot fully respond to the constant attacks of microbes and pathogenic microflora, preventing their penetration into the body, a person becomes more sensitive to the negative influence of environmental factors, as a result of which he is susceptible to infection with bacterial and fungal infections.
The specific fungal parasitism on the skin of the feet and on the body manifests itself with various symptoms depending on the stage of the disease.
A weak or deleted form of fungal infection is the earliest stage of the development of the disease and is distinguished by rather weakly expressed characteristic signs.A person who has a deleted form of fungal disease often feels a burning sensation in the area of infection, there are small cracks on the surface of the skin, and the skin itself becomes pathologically dry.
Although the initial stage of infection is best treated, if the symptoms of fungal infection are ignored, the disease will develop into more serious forms, and with careless and irresponsible treatment, the disease will return, as fungal diseases are characterized by frequent relapses.
The plakokeratotic form of fungal disease develops after a mild form of fungal infection, if the disease was not removed at an early stage.During the squamous-keratotic stage of the disease, fungal microorganisms form a white coating and a hard crust on the surface of the skin.the area of infection gradually increases and can reach significant sizes, for example, from the interdigital folds to the metatarsal.
The intra-abdominal form of fungal foot disease is classified by dermatologists as a severe stage of infection.In the intertribal form of the disease, swelling occurs in the folds between the fingers, which is accompanied by redness of the surface layers of the skin.The swelling is most often raw and prone to erosion.The infected area of the skin is characterized by significant peeling of the epidermis and the appearance of deep cracks, which facilitate the penetration of fungal cells into the body.The limits of parasitism expand and the fungus spreads through the bloodstream to other organs and systems.
The dyshidrosis form of fungal infection of the skin of the feet is the most serious stage in the development of the pathology.For the dyshidrosis form of the disease, the most aggressive methods of treatment are used, including pulse therapy, which involves taking loading doses of powerful drugs in a short period of time.It is characterized by the presence of bubbles with fluid inside the entire surface of the foot, which can burst and form deep erosions on the skin, which are accompanied by pain, severe itching and multiple inflammatory processes.
The treatment of fungal infections of the feet is carried out in three ways: using external treatment, internal treatment and combination therapy.
The external effect on the source of infection with antifungal creams, ointments, gels, varnishes, powders, tonics and sprays is used in the early stages of the disease, when the parasitism of the fungus has not become more widespread.
The internal effect on pathogenic fungal microorganisms is carried out using fungicidal drugs, which can negatively affect the activity of other organs and systems of the body, so such drugs often have many contraindications.They are used in case of fungal parasitism inside the body, which occurs in later stages of the development of the disease.
Combination therapy gives the most noticeable result, but in the initial stages of a fungal infection, external use will be enough, as the use of antifungals internally can create additional complications and stress on the body.
The most effective drugs for getting rid of mild forms of fungal diseases are drugs based on terbinafine, which promotes the accumulation of squalene in the skin, which destroys the mechanism of the pathological effects of fungal microorganisms.Terbinafine is a substance included in various antifungal drugs, which allows it to eliminate fungal diseases caused by various pathogens.
For systemic treatment, which is prescribed by the attending physician in case of ineffectiveness of local drugs, drugs with active ingredients such as itraconazole and ketaconazole are used.This course of treatment is longer and is not recommended for pregnant and lactating women, children under 3 years old, people with liver disease and reduced kidney function.
To prevent the secondary development of the disease after treatment, you must carefully disinfect your sanitary ware, personal belongings and wardrobe items, since the fungus during the breeding season can leave mycelium and other waste on the things of an infected person.
A special spray is suitable for the antifungal treatment of shoes.The antiseptic drug is intended to remove products of fungal cell proliferation from the personal belongings of a person suffering from mycosis.With a 0.1% solution, rinse the inside of the shoes and leave it all night.The spray also disinfects shoes well, is a hypoallergenic product that leaves no marks or odors and is suitable for shoes made of any material.
To effectively get rid of a fungal infection and prevent its occurrence, you must carefully follow all preventive measures and monitor your health.Any disease, including fungal disease, is always easier to prevent than to cure.