Skin and nail fungal diseases are human infectious diseases caused by pathogenic fungi. Fungal infections (mycoses) are different. There are very serious forms of infection with a high mortality rate. However, not many people are bothered by them. Nail mycosis is not one of them, and it is impossible to die directly 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 does nail fungus look like?
Many people do not pay attention to the changes in the nail plate, and usually think that these changes are the result of trauma or age characteristics. Fungal nail disease has many different manifestations. But usually, there are three main manifestations of fungal nail changes: changes in the color of the nail plate, its thickening, chipping or destruction.
Fungus or non-fungi?
Therefore, you can notice some changes in the skin or nail plate. It remains to be determined whether it is a fungus.
There are many non-fungal diseases of the skin and nails-hundreds of names. However, according to statistics, nail disease every second is a fungal infection. In other words, if your nails are changed, no matter what the performance and factors, the chance of nail fungus is 50%. But what about foot skin diseases? They follow the same law of probability. In other words, most of the lesions on the skin of the feet are fungal. Remember that untreated fungus on the skin of the feet will turn into nail fungus sooner or later. Getting rid of nail fungus is not so easy. Don't be fooled. If you suspect that you have a skin or nail disease, please contact your mycologist!
Although it turns out that most nail changes are caused by fungi, another nature of these changes should be considered. It is necessary to emphasize chronic nail trauma first. Some common skin diseases, internal medical infectious diseases, neurological, endocrine, cardiovascular system diseases, various poisonings, and malnutrition will cause nail changes. Finally, nail changes may be congenital. These nail changes resemble fungal infections in appearance, but they are not. Of course, using antifungal drugs to treat non-fungal nail diseases will not be successful. This is another reason to consult a mycologist, not to try to heal any nail changes on your own.
Can you recognize nail fungus by yourself?
you can not! No professional doctor, no matter how experienced he is, will treat fungal diseases without confirming the diagnosis in the laboratory, even if there are the most typical signs of fungus on the legs. Laboratory confirmation is a prerequisite for any fungal disease. Simply put, if the laboratory finds fungus in the skin slices or nails under analysis, then this is a fungal disease.
Dilemma: To treat or not to treat the fungus?
Some people wonder whether nail fungus treatment is worthwhile. Many people argue as follows: Does it cost money to treat fungal diseases? need. How long will it take to treat? Maybe a long time. So, really, why treat fungal diseases? Have the same nails changed, because they can finally be hidden. . .
Is this game worth playing? Why is there a need to treat mycoses? Let's try to understand this problem. . . Once it starts, the fungal infection will not go away until the fungus is destroyed. The fungus is very tenacious and can survive for months in the shed skin scales. So, what can you get from the fungus lurking in the nails? First, the fungal cells enter the skin, fix, multiply and spread on the skin, and then are introduced into the nail under favorable conditions. Over time, the fungus will affect all parts of the nail and spread to other nails or skin. Nail fungus is a hotbed and source of infection for other parts of the body. Even if all the fungal lesions on the skin of the feet or trunk are cured, the remaining infected lesions in the nails will still be infected again.
Fungal nail disease can affect the quality of life. Research conducted by the National Mycological Society has shown that the presence of nail fungus or foot mycosis can significantly reduce the quality of life-a set of indicators that characterize a person's emotional, psychological and social well-being. The results showed that the quality of life of fungal nail diseases dropped to 50-55% of the typical full value of healthy people on average. At the same time, patients not only noticed physical inconveniences related to nail thickening or destruction, but also experienced various experiences, fears and negative emotions. It turned out that nail fungus severely restricted a person's activities and interfered with his rest, exercise, and communication with others. In addition, the discomfort and shame of the nail condition sometimes prevents them from seeking medical attention in time. The longer the disease lasts, the more serious the nail fungus becomes and the worse the quality of life.
In addition to reducing the quality of life, fungi can also cause certain health problems. The first and major health problem caused by nail fungal disease is the fungus itself-a chronic infectious disease that is steadily destroying nails and may spread to people around, especially the patient’s family. By the way, at leastOne third of nail injury patients noticed fungal infections. According to medical statistics and epidemiological studies, in Russia, fungal nail disease occurs in almost every fifth adult. At the same time, the incidence has increased 2. 5 times in the past 10 years. The incidence is expected to increase further. At the same time, the probability of fungus existence increases with age: about twice every 10 years.
Untreated nail mycosis and foot mycosis are considered to be the entrance to other infectious diseases (such as bacterial erysipelas). Fungal nail infections significantly complicate the course of diabetes and can lead to serious complications.
It is possible that the human body is allergic to fungal infections-an allergic reaction to fungi as an allergen is called fungal allergy. It is possible to develop or worsen the course of diseases such as bronchial asthma, allergic dermatitis, various rashes and reactions.
In very rare cases, usually in the context of immunodeficiency, untreated nail fungus can lead to the development of deep mycosis-the fungus germinates or penetrates into internal organs, causing death. Fortunately, most modern nail fungus patients do not have such results. But even if you completely rule out their possibility, you cannot leave the nail fungus without treatment. Infectious diseases such as scabies and head lice cannot go uncured. If you suspect nail fungus, we recommend that you see a doctor as soon as possible.
When we reason in this way, the fungus in someone's nails may have moved forward by a fraction of a millimeter. This is his job, it can be said to be a small business. The fungus keeps doing this day after day. A few days add up to a few weeks, a few weeks to a few months, and a few months to a few years. Over the years, if the fungus is not treated, the disease will get worse. A recent study shows that the severity of onychomycosis increases by a few points in a special proportion every 5 years. This means that new nails are affected by fungus, and the affected area and the degree of thickening will increase in each nail. This means that fungal diseases have a greater negative impact on health and quality of life. This is a confirmed fact. But this is not all. The more serious the fungal infection of the nail, the more difficult it is to treat. If the use of antifungal varnish or nail fluid in the early stages of the infection can help, then after a few years, antifungal drugs will not be exempt. The longer the illness lasts, the longer they need to take it (and need to buy more). After ten to twenty years, usually only the removal of the nail board and the addition of these funds will help.
See a doctor as soon as possible. Every year you give the fungus a delay, you extend the required treatment and observation time, add large doses of medicine, and perform the necessary treatments on the nails. Don't make a big mistake-don't take systemic drugs yourself! If nail fungal disease does not cause the above changes, then, in fact, the treatment of fungus will become a matter of attitude towards appearance. Then we will put healthy nails and white teeth, clean skin, and no odor on the same list. The cost of treating fungal diseases sounds like this: Are you willing to pay for your uneaten, unthickened, and unwanted nails? However, the problem is not unique. Are you willing to spend money to protect your family from athlete's foot injury? Do you want to restore the previous quality of life? Can you stop the spread of infection today?