Mycosis Of The Skin, Nails And Feet - Symptoms And Treatment Of Mycosis

2024 Author: Josephine Shorter | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-01-07 17:49

Symptoms and treatment of mycosis

Content:

• Mycosis symptoms
• Causes of mycosis
• Mycosis of the skin of the feet
• Mycosis of toenails and nails
• Diagnosis of mycosis
• Mycosis treatment

Mycosis is the general name for diseases that are provoked by parasitic fungi. It is customary to distinguish between fungal infections of the skin and nails (dermatomycosis), hair, mucous membranes and mycosis of internal organs.

The causative agents of infection are filamentous fungi, which are transmitted either by contact with a sick person, or by interacting with objects seeded with fungal spores. Sometimes fungal diseases are provoked by saprophytic microflora, which manifests its pathogenic properties when the body's immune forces deteriorate. The severity and nature of the course of the disease depends on the mycotic organism with which the person was infected, as well as on the site of the lesion.

It is customary to distinguish between three types of superficial mycoses of the skin: dermatomycosis, keratomycosis and candidiasis. Deep fungal infections are opportunistic systemic mycosis and subcutaneous fungal infections such as sporotrichosis, mycetoma, and chromoblasticomycosis.

It is superficial mycotic infections of the skin that tend to widespread and increase the number of patients. WHO indicates that every 5th inhabitant of the Earth has one or another fungal infection, while the fungus of the feet and large folds occupies the leading position.

Mycosis symptoms

The symptoms of mycosis are varied and depend on the type of infectious agent and the part of the body that has been affected.

Since the most common types of mycotic lesions are dermatomycosis, candidiasis and keratomycosis, it is worth dwelling on their clinical manifestations:

1. Symptoms of dermatomycosis:

   • With epidermophytosis of the feet, peeling is observed, both pronounced and insignificant. It is accompanied by severe or mild itching. A rash may appear between the toes and on the sides of the foot, as well as the formation of bubbles filled with liquid contents. In old age and in the presence of concomitant diseases, the addition of a bacterial infection is often observed.
   • With epidermophytosis inguinal, ring-shaped red rashes appear on the skin in the groin area. Sometimes small bubbles appear in these places, which not only itch, but also hurt. The disease has frequent relapses and mainly affects men.
   • With dermatomycosis of the scalp, a red itchy rash appears, which is accompanied by scaling. In parallel, hair may fall out on the affected areas.

   • With onychomycosis, a gradual deformation of the nail plate occurs with its subsequent atrophy, provided there is no treatment. Symptoms are: thickening of the nail, discoloration, delamination, crumbling.
   • If dermatomycosis affects smooth skin, then a pink or red rash appears on the infected areas. Sometimes the rash coalesces into spots that have a light area in the center.

2. Keratomycosis symptoms:

   • Pityriasis or pityriasis versicolor is accompanied by the appearance of scaly patches of a pinkish-brown hue. The predominant site of localization is the neck, chest, back and shoulders. As it grows, the lesions merge. As a result of the inability to pass ultraviolet light, the spots stand out strongly against the background of healthy skin areas.
   • With actinomycosis, the skin and tissues become infiltrated, dense to the touch. Granulation occurs along the edges of the infiltrate, which tends to grow peripherally.
   • With erythrasma, mainly on the skin of large folds, light brown spots are formed that have a darker or lighter shade. The surface of the affected area is smooth, with the smallest pityriasis scales visible on it.

3. Candidiasis symptoms:

   • With candidiasis of the skin, patients may experience candidiasis seizures - affected areas of the skin in the corners of the mouth. A plaque forms on their surface, under which there is hyperemic and eroded skin.
   • Skin candidiasis can also form in the folds of obese people, or in children if personal hygiene is not followed. The affected areas are red, covered with a white bloom on top, possibly peripheral epidermal detachment. Superficial mycosis of the mucous membranes, skin, nail ridges and nail plates are skin diseases.
   • Oral mucosa candidiasis affects the tongue, inner cheeks, gums, and palate. At the same time, they turn red, multiple or single white plaques form on the surface of the oral mucosa, which form films when they merge. The patient experiences a burning sensation and pain while eating.
   • Vulvovaginal candidiasis is characterized by reddening of the mucous membrane of the genitals, the formation of vesicles, which, after opening, leave erosion with a film at the top. The woman is worried about cheesy discharge, which increases the itching sensation.
   • Internal candidiasis is a serious disease that usually occurs against the background of other diseases. Most often, there is candidiasis of the intestines, lungs, genitourinary organs. Fungal sepsis is not excluded.

As for opportunistic mycoses, they do not affect healthy individuals and occur in patients with severe immunobiological disorders. Such diseases include: blastomycosis, histoplasmosis, paracoccidioodomycosis, cryptococcosis, aspergillosis, mucorosis.

Subcutaneous fungal infections such as sporotrichosis, mycetoma, and chromomycosis affect the subcutaneous tissue and the epidermis itself. Characterized by the formation of a painless pustule, papule or nodule that tends to grow rapidly. Subsequently, the formation ulcerates with the involvement of the lymphatic vessels in the process.

Causes of mycosis

Most often, the causes of mycosis is infection with one or another fungal organism. However, the development of the disease is possible as a result of the growth of its own conditionally pathogenic flora, which always normally exists in the body, on the skin, in the mucous membranes, etc.

The more provocative factors a person is exposed to, the higher the risk of developing mycotic infection:

• Any immunodeficiency states. They can be triggered by HIV infection, taking medications (antibiotics, corticosteroids, cytostatics), irrational use of local antiseptics (any ointments, lozenges, sprays, etc.). As a result, the normal microflora is disrupted, which means the immune response of the skin, mucous membranes, nails, and a fungal infection develops.
• Endocrine diseases, among which the greatest danger is diabetes. In addition to the very risk of developing the disease, with diabetes mellitus, the risk of complications of mycotic infection increases. In this regard, hypothyroidism, hyperthyroidism, adrenal tumors, obesity, thyroiditis, hypercortisolism are also dangerous.
• Hormonal disorders in the body, which can be caused by both illness and age-related changes.
• The age of the person. It is known that the risk of developing a fungal infection increases with age and is especially high after 60 years.
• Any microtrauma to the mucous membranes, skin. Any wound is an entrance gate for infection, including mycotic nature. In this case, the location of the lesion will depend on the place of injury, for example, injury to the ear with a cotton swab often leads to otomycosis, injury to the nail with manicure accessories - to onychomycosis.
• The presence of any untreated additional source of infection in the body. It can be carious teeth, chronic tonsillitis, diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, liver, blood, kidneys, lungs, etc. Any disease has a negative effect on the state of the immune system and leads to an increased risk of fungal infection.
• The negative impact of environmental factors. These include excessive dustiness and gas pollution of the air, industrial hazards (for example, workers in saunas and baths are more likely to face onychomycosis and dermatophytosis of the feet, and asphalt pavers and repairmen - pharyngomycosis), adherence to bad habits, living in climatic zones with high temperature and humidity.
• The presence of a person with a fungal infection in the family significantly increases the risks of intrafamilial infection.

Mycosis of the skin of the feet

Mycosis of the skin of the feet is one of the most common diseases of fungal etiology. It is found everywhere. The data provided by various scientists indicate that up to 70% of the world's population is familiar with this pathology. Speaking about mycosis of the feet, it should be understood that this term in most cases indicates a lesion by fungi-dermatomycetes of the sole of the lower limb and its interdigital spaces, although the disease can be triggered by mold and yeast-like fungi.

It is customary to distinguish several forms of mycoses of the skin of the feet, including:

• Intertriginous (with a predominant lesion of the interdigital folds), which is accompanied by burning and itching, as well as cracks and erythema of the areas involved in the pathological process;
• Squamous-hyperkeratotic (with the development of erythema on the sole of the foot), which is accompanied by peeling, up to the appearance of deep cracks against a background of slight itching;
• Dyshidrotic, in which the rash is painful, itchy, prone to draining and blistering, followed by the formation of erosions;
• Erased, in which the clinical manifestations of the disease are minimal.

Read more: Foot fungus - symptoms and treatment

Mycosis of toenails and nails

Mycotic lesions of toenails and fingernails affect 30% of people over the age of 40. Moreover, the older a person becomes, the higher the risk of developing an infection, and after 70 years, 50% of elderly people suffer from onychomycosis.

There are three main clinical signs that indicate the development of the disease:

• Discoloration of the nail plate;
• Thickening of the nail plate;
• Crumbling and complete destruction of the nail.

Most often, domestic dermatologists in their practice use four forms that characterize the development of the disease: distal-lateral, superficial white, proximal subungual and total dystrophic forms of lesions of the nail plate.

Read more: Toenail fungus - stages, symptoms, how to get rid of?

Diagnosis of mycosis

The diagnosis and treatment of fungal infections is the responsibility of dermatologists and mycologists. To make a diagnosis, it will be necessary to carry out laboratory studies, the material for which are various substrates. It can be skin flakes, blood, feces, phlegm, nails, hair. The resulting material is processed with special reagents and studied under a microscope.

To determine the type of pathogen of mycotic infection, cultural methods are used, for which the inseminated materials are placed in various nutrient media.

To determine some types of dermatomycosis, special devices are used, for example, Wood's lamp.

In parallel, the doctor finds out the reason that led to the infection - blood is taken for HIV, for sugar, for the detection of STDs, etc.

Mycosis treatment

Modern medicine has a full range of effective remedies that can relieve a person from mycosis. These are preparations of both local and general action. The course of treatment should be selected exclusively by a doctor, based on the individual characteristics of the patient, from the clinical manifestations of pathology, from the area of the lesion - tissues, organs, mucous membranes, etc.

It is important to consider the following criteria:

• The size of the area of the affected area;
• The duration of the disease in time;
• The nature of the pathological changes caused by the disease;
• The presence of concomitant pathology.

Modern drugs are able not only to effectively and quickly stop the progression of the disease, but also to destroy the mycotic microorganism itself. Medicines tend to accumulate and persist in tissues for a long time. This significantly shortens the therapeutic course.

In addition, pulse therapy is popular, when full recovery occurs in 4 months (this applies to nail fungus). However, treatment should be comprehensive with the use of topical drugs and oral pills.

It is important to take into account that both systemic and local antimycotics are not harmless drugs. They have many contraindications and side effects. To minimize the risk of their occurrence, it is necessary to control the effect of therapy and take it according to a certain scheme. Self-diagnosis of the disease and self-administration of drugs often leads to the development of resistance of fungal agents and to the absence of the effect of therapy. Therefore, in order to prevent the progression of the disease, you should seek professional help.

Laser mycosis treatment

You can get rid of mycosis of nails with the help of laser therapy. The essence of the procedure is that the infrared radiation of the laser penetrates deep into the nail plate and heats up the fungal spores. The penetration depth of the beam is 7 mm; it is at this distance that mycotic spores lie.

As for the duration of exposure, it depends on the number of affected nail plates and on the type of apparatus used for treatment. The interval between procedures should be from one week to 30 days, the number of treatments can vary from 3 to 10. As a rule, the effect of such therapy can be seen from the first time, but the treatment should continue until the diseased nail plate completely disappears …

This painless and short-term procedure helps to destroy nail fungus and pathogenic bacteria. There is no need for a rehabilitation period, and the laser treatment procedure does not give side effects. However, the risk of recurrence of the disease is not excluded, therefore, it is advisable to combine the use of laser therapy and medication. As an independent method, laser treatment is prescribed only if there are serious contraindications to systemic or local therapy.

Antifungal nail polish

When the mycotic lesion was diagnosed on time and did not cause serious complications or deformities, local therapy can be used to treat the disease. In this case, the doctor may recommend applying a varnish or solution with antifungal activity to the nail.

This could be:

• Serum for nails Mycosan in a set with files for removing damaged nails. The price for such a drug varies from 530 to 600 rubles.
• Lac Batrafen, which can cost up to 1600 rubles. This varnish must be applied according to the correct scheme: the first 30 days - after 1 day, the next 30 days - 2 times in 7 days, the third 30 days - 1 time in 7 days. Once a week, Batrafen is applied until the sore nail completely disappears.
• Varnish Lotseril, which promotes the destruction of the cell membrane of the mycotic microorganism. The course of therapy can vary from six months to a year. In this case, the agent must be applied to the diseased nail at least 2 times every 7 days. The price of Lotseril can reach 2200 rubles.
• Lac Oflomil, the cost of which is 800 rubles.
• Cyclopiroxolamine varnish at a price of up to 1400 rubles.

Therapy using varnishes cannot be short-term and does not allow an interruption in treatment. To improve the aesthetic appearance of nails, manicure varnish can be applied over the antimycotic varnish.

Read more: Nail fungus varnish - list

Means for removing the nail affected by mycosis

There are products on sale that allow you to painlessly get rid of the nail plate affected by fungal microorganisms. For example, the drug Nogtevit. With its help, surgical removal of the nail can be avoided. The price for Nailvit is low and averages 120 rubles.

The composition of the product contains propylene glycol, stearic acid, triethanolamine, urea and tea tree oil. Thanks to these components, it is possible to remove the damaged nail, prevent infection and grow a healthy nail plate.

Before applying Nogtevit, nails should be thoroughly steamed in water with soda. For 1 liter of liquid, one teaspoon of baking soda and liquid soap is sufficient. After that, the legs are dried and the area around the nail is fixed with an adhesive plaster. Nailvit is applied to the nail plate itself, while it is important to ensure that healthy tissue is not captured. After applying the plaster, both the nail itself and the phalanx of the finger are closed. After 4 days, the plaster is removed, the nail is steamed again and removed using pedicure accessories. If it was not possible to scrape off the stratum corneum completely, then the procedure must be performed again.

You can also use the drug Nogitsymin, which is similar in effectiveness. Its price is on average 120 rubles.

Antifungal pills

When the course of the disease is rapid, as well as with an advanced form of the disease, therapy with systemic antimycotic drugs should be carried out. The choice of tablets is wide enough, only a doctor can choose the optimal drug.

The most popular oral antimycotics are:

Most popular oral drug	Analogs
Fluconazole	Fluconazole (up to 40 rubles)	Diflucan (from 450 rubles); Flucostat (from 170 rubles); Mikosist (from 300 rubles); Mikomax; Forkan.
Itraconazole	Orungal, the minimum price for which is 2500 rubles.	Canditral (from 500 rubles); Rumicosis (from 700 rubles); Irunin (from 300 rubles); Itrazol (from 400 rubles).
Ketoconazole	Nizoral and Fungavis at a price of 450 and 140 rubles, respectively.	-
Terbinafine	Lamisil at a minimum price of 1,700 rubles.	Terbinafine (from 350 rubles); Terbizil (from 1100 rubles); Onykhon; Exifin (from 640 rubles); Fungoterbin.

Local treatment with cream, spray, ointment

Cream / Ointment	Spray	Solution
Naftifin	Exoderil (from 350 rubles)
Sertoconazole	Zalain (from 310 rubles)
Oxyconazole	Mifungar (from 210)
Ketoconazole	Nizoral and Mycozoral (from 300 and 130 rubles, respectively)
Fundizol	Fundizol (from 100 rubles)
Chloronitrophenol			Nitrofungin (from 250 rubles)
Cyclopiroxolamine	Batrafen and Cyclopiroxolamine (both from 250 rubles)
Terbinafine	Lamisil (from 300 rubles); Terbinafine (from 60 rubles for an ointment and from 115 rubles for a cream); Atifin (from 100 rubles); Terbizil (from 240 rubles); Exifin (from 160 rubles); Fungoterbin (from 220 rubles); Thermikon (from 160 rubles); Miconorm; Terbized-Ajio.	Lamisil (up to 600 rubles); Fungoterbin (from 240 rubles); Thermikon (from 230 rubles); Lamitel; Terbix for 140 rubles.
Bifonazole	Bifosin and Mikospor (for 30 and 330 rubles, respectively).

The criterion for effective treatment is the complete replacement of a diseased nail with a healthy one and the disappearance of all symptoms of the disease. However, in order to finally be sure of the results of therapy, it is necessary to perform laboratory tests. The material is submitted for analysis 14 and 30 days after the completion of the course.

Other funds

• Fundizol. The cream is intended for the treatment of nail and foot skin fungus. Use the cream twice a day, applying it to the nail and securing it with adhesive plaster and compress paper. The price of the drug varies within 100 rubles. It contains zinc oxide, salicylic acid, extracts of celandine and oak bark, potassium iodide and other components.
• Creolin. A drug that can be purchased at a veterinary store. It helps to eliminate bacteria and fungi from the nail, has a disinfecting effect. During use, it is worth making sure that the product does not get on the skin. To do this, an adhesive plaster is applied to it. The affected plate is treated once a day until a healthy nail grows back. The price of the drug does not exceed 30 rubles.
• Fukortsin, or "Castellani Liquid". It is also an effective remedy for treating fungus, but care must be taken when applying. May cause burns on skin contact.
• Berezhnov's liquid. This solution is made to order at the pharmacy. The recipe has been familiar to pharmacists for a long time.
• Foot bath with Listerine. To get rid of nail fungus, you can use a bath with Listerine mouthwash, lemon juice and apple cider vinegar.

Article author: Mochalov Pavel Alexandrovich | d. m. n. therapist

Education: Moscow Medical Institute. IM Sechenov, specialty - "General Medicine" in 1991, in 1993 "Occupational Diseases", in 1996 "Therapy".