Today, dermatological diseases make up a significant percentage of diseases that an increasing number of people encounter every day.The rapid spread of diseases associated with disruption of the integrity of the skin and the functions of the epithelial tissue is due not only to the constantly increasing number of pathogenic pathogens in the external environment, but also to our lifestyle, daily routine and bad habits, which are the driving force for the development of various pathologies.
What is a fungus and why does it occur?
Fungal skin diseases are ranked 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 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 the event of a weakening of the human body's immune system.
Athlete's foot is characterized by two types of disease - dermatomycosis, which directly affects the skin of the heel, toes, metatarsus or sole, and onychomycosis, which affects the nail folds, nail plates and the epidermis beneath them.The causative agents of onychomycosis are able to increase the area of infection and spread to nearby integumentary tissues.
Athlete's foot can be transmitted directly, for example, by walking barefoot on soil populated by fungal microorganisms, through infected plants or by close contact with a person or animal that is sick with mycosis.The indirect route of infection with mycotic 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 during the use of patient care items.
The different degrees of susceptibility to pathogens of fungal diseases in each person are due to many factors that can affect the tendency to develop infectious diseases and the nature of the disease.
Children under 10-12 years of age are considered to be 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, immune defense mechanisms are still at the stage of development and are not able to protect the body from the invasion of pathogenic microflora, just as the developed immune system protects it, therefore the children's body is constantly at risk of infection with various disorders 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, as increased air temperature and increased moisture concentration are optimal conditions for the activation of the pathogenic form of the fungus.
Therefore, excessive sweating of the feet often precedes the development of a fungal infection on the skin of the feet, which can be caused by 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 driving force for the development of a fungal disease on the skin of the legs 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 one that is more toxic to our body and more suitable to activate 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 of the body, which negatively affects the activity of organs in other systems and the course of immune defense mechanisms.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 susceptible to the negative influence of environmental factors, as a result of which he is susceptible to infection with bacterial and fungal infections.
Specific parasitism of fungi on the skin of the legs and in the body manifests itself in different symptoms depending on the stage of the disease.
A weak or deleted form of a fungal infection is the earliest stage of the development of the disease and is characterized by rather weakly expressed characteristic signs.A person who has a deleted form of a fungal disease often feels a burning sensation in the area of infection, there are small cracks on the surface of the skin, and the epidermis itself becomes pathologically dry.
Although the initial phase of the infection is best treated, if the symptoms of infection with fungal microorganisms are ignored, the disease will develop into more serious forms, and with careless and irresponsible treatment, the disease will return again, since mycotic diseases are characterized by frequent relapses.
The squamous-keratotic form of the fungal disease develops after a mild form of mycotic 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 metatarsus.
The intertriginous form of athlete's foot is classified by dermatologists as a severe stage of infection.In the intertriginous form of the disease, swelling occurs in the folds between the toes, which is accompanied by redness of the surface layer of the skin.Edema is most often raw and prone to erosion.The infected area of the skin is characterized by significant detachment 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 dyshidrotic form of fungal infection of the skin of the legs is the most serious stage in the development of the pathology.For the dyshidrotic form of the disease, the most aggressive treatment methods are used, including pulse therapy, which involves taking loading doses of potent medicine in a short time.It is characterized by the presence of blisters with fluid inside over the entire surface of the foot, which can burst and form deep erosions on the skin, which are accompanied by pain, severe itching and several inflammatory processes.
Treatment of fungal infections of the feet is carried out in three ways: using external treatment, internal treatment and combination treatment.
External influence of the source of infection with antifungal creams, ointments, gels, varnishes, powders, tonics and sprays is used in the first stages of the disease, when parasitism of the fungus has not become more widespread.
The internal effect on pathogenic fungal microorganisms is carried out with the help of antifungal drugs, which can negatively affect the activity of other organs and systems of the body, therefore, such drugs often have many contraindications.They are used in cases of fungal parasitism inside the body, which occurs at later stages of the development of the disease.
Combination therapy gives the most noticeable effect, but in the initial stages of a fungal infection, external use will be sufficient, since the use of antifungal drugs internally can create 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 promotes the accumulation of squalene in the skin, which destroys the mechanism of the pathological effects of fungal microorganisms.Terbinafine is a substance that is included in various antifungal drugs that make it possible to eliminate fungal diseases caused by various pathogens.
For systemic treatment, 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, people with liver diseases and reduced kidney function.
To prevent the secondary development of the disease after treatment, you must carefully disinfect your hygiene items, personal belongings and wardrobe items, since during the reproduction period the fungus is able to leave mycelium and other waste products on the things of an infected person.
A special spray is suitable for fungicidal treatment of shoes.The antiseptic drug is intended to remove products of proliferation of fungal cells from personal belongings of a person suffering from mycosis.With a 0.1% solution, rinse the inside of the shoes and leave overnight.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 strictly follow all preventive measures and monitor your health.Any disease, including fungal diseases, is always easier to prevent than to cure.