Today, dermatological diseases constitute a significant percentage of the diseases that an increasing number of people face every day.The rapid spread of diseases associated with disruption of skin integrity and epithelial tissue functions is caused not only by the ever-increasing number of pathogens in the external environment, but also by our lifestyle, daily routine and bad habits, which stimulate the development of various pathologies.
What is fungus and why does it appear?
Fungal skin diseases are second in frequency of occurrence after purulent lesions of the epidermis, which are called pyoderma.Fungal infections have specific pathogens - fungal microorganisms that determine the development of fungal skin lesions only in a pathogenic form or condition.
Since fungi are a part of our environment and usually do not show their presence in any way, they are opportunistic microorganisms that take a pathological form due to changes in environmental conditions suitable for reproduction and in case of weakening of the immune defense of the human body.
There are two types of athlete's foot disease - dermatomycosis, which directly affects the skin of the heel, toes, metatarsus, or foot, and onychomycosis, which affects the nail folds, nail plates, and the epidermis beneath them.Agents causing onychomycosis can increase the area of infection, spread to nearby tissues.
Foot fungus can be transmitted directly, for example, by walking barefoot on soil inhabited by fungal microorganisms, by infected plants or by close contact with a person or animal suffering from mycosis.An indirect way of infection with mycotic diseases includes the development of a fungal infection due to the use of personal hygiene items of a person suffering from a fungus, through his clothes and bed linen, as well as when using patient care products.
The different degree of susceptibility to pathogens of mycotic diseases in each person is due to many factors that can affect the tendency to develop infectious diseases and the nature of the disease.
Children under 10-12 years old are considered the most vulnerable age group.Most often, dermatologists diagnose infectious diseases caused by pathogenic fungal microorganisms in children, because 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.
Immune defense mechanisms in children are still at the stage of development and cannot protect the body from the penetration of pathogenic microflora, as well as the developed immune system protects it, so the children's body is constantly at risk of infection with various diseases and pathologies.
Athletes belong to the group of people who are often in conditions of constant spread of fungus on the skin of the feet.Changing rooms and shower rooms, which are often used by athletes before and after training, are an ideal environment for the intensive activity of fungal microorganisms, because the increase in air temperature and moisture concentration are 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 may be caused by the constant wearing of uncomfortable tight shoes that do not allow air flow.Constant sweating of the feet can be determined by the specific composition of genetic material and can also be one of the external symptoms of diseases or pathologies in the body.
Another impetus for the development of fungal disease on the skin of the feet can be a change in the normal composition of the secretion of sweat glands (water, uric acid, ammonia, amino acids and fatty acids), which is more toxic to 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.
Disruption of the normal functioning of the nervous and endocrine systems, as well as the gastrointestinal tract, is accompanied by a decrease in basal metabolism in the body, which negatively affects the activity of organs of other systems and the course of immune defense mechanisms.Since the weakened body cannot fully respond to the constant attacks of microbes and pathogenic microflora, preventing them from entering the body, a person becomes more sensitive to the negative effects of environmental factors, as a result of which he is susceptible to bacterial and fungal infections.
Specific fungal parasitism on the skin of the legs and body is manifested by different symptoms depending on the stage of the disease.
A weak or deleted form of fungal infection is the earliest stage of disease development and is distinguished by rather weakly expressed characteristic signs.A person with a suppressed form of fungal disease often feels a burning sensation in the area of infection, small cracks appear on the surface of the skin, and the epidermis itself becomes pathologically dry.
Although the initial stage of infection is best treated, if the symptoms of infection with fungal microorganisms are ignored, the disease will develop into more severe forms, and with careless and irresponsible treatment, the disease will return again, because mycosis diseases are characterized by frequent relapses.
The flat-keratotic form of the fungal disease develops after a mild form of mycotic infection, if the disease is not removed at an early stage.During the flat-keratotic stage of the disease, fungal microorganisms form a white layer 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 digital folds to the metatarsus.
The intertriginous form of fungal foot disease is classified by dermatologists as a severe stage of the infection.In the intertrigenic form of the disease, swelling appears 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 tearing of the epidermis and the appearance of deep cracks, which facilitate the penetration of fungal cells into the body.The boundaries of parasitism expand and the fungus spreads to other organs and systems through the bloodstream.
The dyshidrosis form of the fungal infection of the skin of the feet is the most severe stage of the development of the pathology.For the dyshidrosis form of the disease, the most aggressive treatment methods 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 blisters on the entire surface of the leg inside the liquid, which can burst and create deep erosion on the skin, accompanied by pain, severe itching and many inflammatory processes.
Fungal infections of the feet are treated in three ways: external treatment, internal treatment and combination therapy.
External effects on the source of infection with antimycotic creams, ointments, gels, patches, powders, tonics and sprays are used in the first stage of the disease, when the fungal parasitism has not spread.
Internal action on pathogenic fungal microorganisms is carried out using fungicides, 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 the case of fungal parasitism inside the body, which is manifested in the later stages of the development of the disease.
Combined therapy gives the most noticeable effect, but in the initial stages of a fungal infection, external use will be enough, since the internal use of antimycotics can cause additional complications and stress on the body.
The most effective drugs to get rid of mild forms of mycotic diseases are drugs based on terbinafine, which promote the accumulation of squalene in the skin, which destroys the mechanism of pathological effects of fungal microorganisms.Terbinafine is a substance that is 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 of age, people with liver disease and impaired kidney function.
To prevent the secondary development of the disease after treatment, you should carefully disinfect your hygiene items, personal items and wardrobe items, because during the reproduction period, the fungus can leave mycelium and other residues on the belongings of an infected person.
A special spray is well suited for anti-fungal treatment of shoes.The antiseptic preparation aims to remove the products of the reproduction of fungal cells from the personal belongings of a person suffering from mycosis.Rinse the inside of the shoe with a 0.1% solution and leave it overnight.The spray also cleans shoes well, is a hypoallergenic product that does not leave marks and odors and is suitable for shoes made of any material.
To effectively remove a fungal infection and prevent its occurrence, you must carefully follow all preventive measures and monitor your health.Prevention of any disease, including fungal disease, is always easier than cure.