Fungal diseases of the skin and nails belong to a group of infectious diseases in humans caused by pathogenic fungi. Fungal infections (mycoses) are different. There are very severe forms of infection with a high mortality rate. However, not many people get them. Onychomycosis is not one of them and it is impossible to directly die from it. But fungal infections of the skin and nails are among the most common. It is a contagious disease that spreads from person to person.
What does nail fungus look like?
Many people do not notice changes in the nail plates, very often considering these changes as a consequence of trauma or age characteristics. Toenail fungus has many different symptoms. But as a rule, the changes on the nails during fungal diseases have three main manifestations: change in the color of the nail, thickening, crumbling or destruction.
Mushroom or not mushroom?
So you may notice some changes in the skin or nail plates. It remains to be decided whether it is a fungus or not.
There are many non-fungal diseases of the skin and nails - hundreds of names. However, according to statistics, every second nail disease is caused by fungus. That is, if your fingernails are discolored, then your chance of getting nail fungus is 50%, independent of any symptoms and factors. But what about foot diseases? They obey the same law of probability. That is, most lesions of the skin of the feet are fungal. Remember, tinea versicolor left untreated will sooner or later turn into nail fungus. And it's not so easy to get rid of nail fungus. Don't be fooled. If you suspect you have a skin or nail disease, contact your mycologist!
Despite the fact that most nail changes are fungal, the other nature of these changes should be noted. Here it is necessary to highlight, first of all, chronic nail trauma. Nail changes can occur with a number of common dermatological diseases, infectious diseases of the internal organs, damage to the nervous, endocrine, cardiovascular systems, various types of toxicosis, as well as dystrophy. Finally, nail changes can be congenital. These nail changes look like a fungal infection, but they're not. Of course, antifungal treatment for non-fungal nail diseases will not be successful. This is another reason to consult a mycologist and not try to heal any nail changes on your own.
Can you recognize nail fungus on your own?
No you can not! And no professional doctor, no matter how experienced he is, will proceed to treat mycosis without confirming a laboratory diagnosis, even with the most typical signs of foot fungus. . Laboratory confirmation is a prerequisite for any fungal disease. Simply put, if the lab finds a fungus in the skin flakes or a nail clipping is taken for analysis, this is a fungal disease.
The dilemma: To treat or not to treat fungus?
Some people have doubts about whether it's worth treating nail fungus. Many opinions argue as follows: does the treatment of fungal diseases need money? Require. How long does the treatment take? Maybe for a long time. Then, really, why care about mycosis treatment? Is it all the same that the nails are changed, because they can eventually be hidden . . .
Is this game worth candles? Why do you need fungal skin treatment? Let's try to figure this out. . . Once started, the fungal infection will go nowhere until the fungus is destroyed. The fungus is very tenacious and can survive for months in fallen skin scales. So, what can you expect from the fungus lurking in your nails? First, the cells of the fungus penetrate the skin, become fixed, multiply and spread on it, then, under favorable conditions, they are introduced into the nail. Over time, the fungus affects all parts of the nail and spreads 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 foci on the skin of the feet or trunk have been cured, reinfection will come from the remaining foci of infection on the nails.
Fungal nail diseases reduce quality of life. Research conducted by the National Academy of Mycology has shown that the presence of nail fungus or foot fungus significantly reduces quality of life - a set of indicators that characterize emotional, mental and well-being. one's society. It turns out that quality of life in the case of nail fungus drops on average to 50–55% of the full value typical for a healthy person. At the same time, patients not only noted the physical inconveniences associated with thickening or destruction of the nails, but also experienced various negative experiences, fears and emotions. It is found that nail fungus severely limits a person's activities, affecting rest, sports, communication with others. Moreover, the discomfort and shame caused by the condition of their nails sometimes prevent them from seeing a doctor in time. The longer the disease lasts, the more severe the nail fungus becomes, and the quality of life decreases.
In addition to reducing quality of life, mushrooms also lead to certain health problems. The first and main health problem caused by the appearance of onychomycosis is fungus - a chronic infectious disease that is gradually destroying the nails and has the potential to spread to those around, especially people. patient's home. . By the way, the presence of a relative with a fungal infection, is noted by at least 1/3 of patients with nail damage. According to medical statistics and epidemiological studies, in Russia almost everyone can get nail fungus. At the same time, the incidence of the disease in the past 10 years has increased 2. 5 times. A further increase in the incidence of the disease is expected. At the same time, the likelihood of having a fungus increases with age: about 2 times for every 10 years of life.
Untreated nail and foot fungus is considered a gateway to other infectious diseases - bacterial erysipelas, for example. Fungal nail infections significantly complicate the course of diabetes and can lead to serious complications.
The human body can be allergic to fungal infections - the formation of hypersensitivity to the fungus as an allergen, that is, a fungal allergy. There may be development or worsening of diseases such as bronchial asthma, atopic dermatitis, rashes and various skin reactions.
In very rare cases, as a rule, due to immunodeficiency, untreated nail fungus leads to the development of deep fungus - the germination or penetration of the fungus by the bloodstream into the internal organs. organs, leading to death. Fortunately, most modern nail fungus patients do not have such an outcome. But even if you completely rule out their possibility, you cannot leave nail fungus without treatment. It is impossible not to treat scabies, lice and other infectious diseases. If you suspect nail fungus, we recommend that you see your doctor as soon as possible.
While we argue this way, the fungus in someone's fingernails could have moved forward by some tiny fraction of a millimeter. This is his job, a small business, so to speak. Mushrooms do this all the time, day in and day out. Number of days up to weekly, weekly to monthly, monthly to yearly. Over the years, the disease becomes worse if the fungus is not treated. In a recent study, it was shown that every 5 years the severity of onychomycosis increases by several points on a particular scale. This means that the new nails are affected by the fungus, and in each nail there is an affected area and a degree of thickening. This means that the negative impact of fungal diseases on health and quality of life will be stronger. This is a proven fact. But that's not all. The more severe the nail fungus infection, the more difficult it is to treat. If in the early stages of the infection, nail polish or antifungal solution can help, then after a few years, antifungal medication cannot be dispensed. The longer the illness lasts, the longer it takes to drink (and to buy more). And after ten to twenty years, as a rule, only the removal of the nail plate, plus these funds, will help.
See your doctor as soon as possible. Each year you give the fungus a delay, you prolong the necessary treatment and observation period, add a large dose of the drug, perform the necessary processing for the nails. Don't make a big mistake - don't self-medicate with systemic drugs! If nail fungus does not cause the above changes, in fact, treating the fungus will become an important issue for each person's appearance. Then we will put healthy nails in the same list along with white teeth, clear skin and no bad smell. And the question about the cost of nail fungus treatment will be as follows: Are you willing to spend money to get your nails back that are not eaten, not thick and not as you want? However, the question is not unique. Are you willing to pay to protect your family from tinea capitis? Do you want to regain your previous quality of life? Can you stop the spread of infection today?