There is hardly a person who had never heard of this type of pathology, such as nail fungus. Someone familiar with the diagnosis of the advertising of drugs, and someone found out about the disease first-hand, leaving the dermatologist's office or to diagnose it yourself.
Definition
The medical term onychomycosis (lat. onychomycosis) is Latin and means nail fungus, and denotes the infectious diseases of a fungal nature. This is the most common in the world, the defeat of the nail plate and the adjoining soft tissues: according to statistics of the world health organization (who), the athlete's foot affects about 27% of the people, and this figure is almost double the number of fungal infections of the nails to the fingers.
Types of fungal infections of the nails
Onychomycosis usually classified according to the aspect of the affected areas. As a symptom classification that performs what looks like nail fungus, is differentialsa three types, depending on the clinical manifestations:
- atrophic, or onycholitic – in which the nail plate is affected in a significant way, to the point of rejection of the nail bed;
- hypertrophic form, that have lost their natural shine of the nail changes its color (white or, on the contrary, in the dark) and structure (materials is complicated by the appearance of different types of deformations and even breaks down at the edges;
- normotroficheskie – the species is characterized by the lowest degree of prejudice, in which the nail plate is not thickened, while the rest is shiny and soft, but still outwardly transformed by the appearance of spots, streaks and other visible changes in their natural transparency and colour.
There is another classification according to which nail fungus is divided into types depending on the injury:
- total, in which the pathogenic process of covering the whole of the nail plate;
- the distal form of lesions only in the free edge of the nail to act on the finger pad;
- proximal that destroys the edge of the plate, leaving the nail shaft (in front of the free edge of the nail!);
- the lateral form of lesions that affect the lateral side of the plate of the nail.
Seems pathology
Common among the population of fungal nail diseases have resemblance with other dermatological diseases of a fungal nature. Depending on the stage of the disease, the nails begin to look unhealthy because lose the natural Shine and transparency.
From smooth and flat, they become thick and deformed, and covered with various colors (usually white or dirty yellow) tone. The soft tissues from being destroyed by the parasite keratin layer is also involved in the inflammatory response, swelling.
If we look at the image of the destruction of the plate of the nail from the perspective of the dynamics of the disease, which can be divided into three successive stages:
- In the first scenario, there is almost no signal, except for light tarnish, spots or streaks in the registry.
- The so-called serious stage, fast-paced at the start, all the symptoms of onychomycosis is evident.
- Advanced phase – that is the last of the degeneration of the nails, can be supplemented by an odor from the decomposition of the fabric.
The symptoms of nail fungus
The symptoms of athlete's foot corresponds to the chronology of the development of the pathogenic process, the speed of which will depend on the specific type of pathogens and the individual characteristics of the health status of the patient.
So how to determine nail fungus before the visit to the dermatologist's office? Look at the characteristic symptoms that accompany a fungal infection of the nail plates on my fingers:
- First, the nail plate lost its brilliant sheen, becoming dull and rough.
- After transparent and pink, the nail changes color, turning white, gray or dirty yellow.
- The plate thickness increases.
- On the surface of the body defects appear in the form of stripes, waves, bumps, curves, etc.
- The nail looks fragile, it starts to exfoliate and crumble.
- The fingers because of the increase of inflammatory processes begin to emit an unpleasant odor.
In the end, was to completely destroy the exposed nail onycholysis, that is to say, flaking, exposure of the pringtime bed.
Causes of onychomycosis
Pathology is one of the manifestations of mycosis, which is a loss in this case, the nail plate micro-organisms-dermatophytes of one (or more!) of the three genres:
- Microsporum (species canis);
- Trichophyton (rubrum species – 90% of all fungal infections, mentagrophytes, interdigitale, and tonsurans) is the most frequent causative agents of fungal infections;
- Epidermophyton (floccosum species).
Representatives of all three genera, United with the collective name of "nail fungus", when ingested, colonise (i.e., localized) keratinized derivative of the epidermis of the skin:
- nails;
- hair.
The reason for the selectivity of habitats for micro-parasites is in their power to all members as a source of energy used to a protein fibrillar keratin, thus destroying nails and hair.
Methods of infection
All types of disease-causing pathogens transmitted by the contact method:
- the physical contact of an infected person to a healthy;
- using things that come in contact with the affected parts of the body (shoes, personal items, etc.).
The contact with the nails or of the skin, which has become the habitat of the parasite, which allows the living representatives of the fungi to get in the health of the parts of the body.
At the same time that the causative agent of onychomycosis was able to carry out the infiltration in human tissue requires conditions, such as:
- damage to the integrity of the skin (dermatitis, diaper rash, vascular and skin diseases, abrasions, wounds, etc.);
- a weakened immune system;
- the presence of diseases concomitant (genodermatosis and hemolytic disease, immune and endocrine disorders);
- receiving cytostatic and hormonal preparations and antibiotics.
In relation to the above, the penetration of the parasite in the body of a healthy person does not in all cases, without exception, leads to clinical manifestations of the disease or only very weakly expressed forms of pathology.
Due to certain conditions, including a strong immune protection, the person seemingly healthy, it becomes a carrier of the parasite, to infect other people.
How to recognize the disease
Because of the similarity of mycotic lesions with mechanical symptoms of the deformities and other pathologies of the nail plate, based on the clinical diagnosis is not only in external signs — what is nail fungus — and more and supplementing their results of micro-studies.
For laboratory analysis are used pieces of plots affected nail, producing a scraping for fungus of the nails with special tools.
The specific form of the parasite is revealed by two of the most convenient research:
- culture by placing the biological sample in the tissue patient in a special nutrient medium;
- molecular biological method, or the so-called polymerase chain reaction (PCR).
More accurate DNA diagnosis is still rare.
In answer to the question: "how to recognize nail fungus at home", experienced dermatologists will recommend that you see a specialist for the realization of a large and in cases necessary, and the differential diagnosis.
What is the danger of nail fungus
Without the complications of nail fungus symptoms has, although unpleasant, but traditional for fungal infections: stratification of the nails, the pain, etc.
But in some cases mycotic can join, for example, bacterial infection, or the disease may produce acute, with the appearance of blisters, ulcers, weeping areas of adjacent soft tissues.
Sometimes, medical therapy and ongoing long-term outpatient (more than 16 weeks!), not ineffective, and the disease progresses.
How dangerous is nail fungus, long-term treatable? In the inflammatory process involved entities and their systems, and may need emergency hospitalisation of the patient.
Methods of treatment of nail fungus
In the early stages of the disease, conventional medicine uses conservative methods through the appointment of medical treatment.
Anti-mycotic drug, designed to destroy the fungus under the nail, contain substances that can inhibit the activity of the different clichés. For the effectiveness of the therapy can be used in various pharmacological forms, sometimes complex assign:
- pills to take orally (through the gastrointestinal tract, usually drinking water), administered in the absence of the effect of the medication topical;
- ointments, pastes and gels for local, topical, with the application of the drug directly to the affected part of the parasite body;
- aerosols;
- the solution (resorcinol, boric acid, brilliant green, etc.) and the suspension, for applications tool-soaked wipes for the affected area, or the use of a drug in the form of a therapeutic bath.
The resources are usually used twice a day until resolution of clinical manifestations. In the case of the important keratosis in order to facilitate the penetration of the dosage form in keratin formation is carried out by its partial detachment. If the signs of nail fungus indicate the addition of a bacterial infection secondary, the patients are recommended the combination of antibiotics.
Important! If you resort to systemic Anti-mycotic medium for the monitoring of possible functional disorders necessarily produce the biochemical study of the liver (analysis of blood serum for the presence of bilirubin, in the presence of the enzyme aspartate aminotransferase, gamma-glutamyltransferase, etc.
If the patient, representing, for example, the nail fungus on her thumb, suddenly appear acute inflammation and/or severe itching, resort to the media:
- antihistaminicas (swelling and inflammation);
- desensitize (reduce the sensitivity).
Therapy through the use of pharmacological agents, as a general rule, is a course and has a long period of time, not less than three months!
This duration of treatment is due to the introduction of the pathogen in the structure of the nail, it takes time to update it, in accordance with a gradual circumcision affected areas. If the disease is in a stage in which the medical treatment does not give positive results (total form) or the patient and the person of the old, to resort to radical methods, surgically removing a parasite destroyed the nail.
Prevention
The best preventive treatment activities because prevention is much easier than the first to settle the fungi in the nail, and then get rid of him. Good ways to prevent infection advocates strict compliance with the rules of personal hygiene, especially in public places, the imminent danger of possible contacts with native speakers of the mycosis, as well as the prevention:
- primary, exceptional, abnormal dryness of the skin, abrasions, small wounds and hyperhidrosis, and in case of their appearance – an indicator of treatment, for example, aluminum chlorohydrate 15% with ditilinom glycol 1% for excess sweating of the feet;
- secondary disinfection solutions special elements in contact with the source of athlete's foot (shoes, towels, etc.).
Having the correct information, since that appears to nail fungus, it is realistic to protect yourself and your family from intrusion, and in the case of the disease and timely and appropriate treatment methods can accelerate the recovery.