Dermatological diseases today represent a significant percentage of the diseases that an increasing number of people face every day.The rapid spread of diseases associated with violation of the integrity of the skin and epithelial tissue functions is caused not only by the ever-increasing number of pathogenic pathogens in the external environment, but also by our way of life, daily routine and bad habits, which give rise to the development of various pathologies.
What is a fungus and why does it occur?
Fungal skin diseases rank second in frequency of occurrence, after purulent lesions of the epidermis, called pyoderma.Fungal infections have specific pathogens - fungal microorganisms, which determine the development of fungal skin lesions only in the pathogenic form or condition.
As fungi are part of our environment and normally do not manifest their presence in any way, they are opportunistic microorganisms that acquire a pathological form due to changes in environmental conditions suitable for reproduction and in the event of a weakening of the human body's immune defense.
Foot fungus is characterized by two types of disease - dermatomycosis, which directly affects the skin of the heel, toes, metatarsal or sole, and onychomycosis, which affects the nail folds, nail plates and the epidermis beneath them.The causative agents of onychomycosis are capable of increasing the area of infection, spreading to nearby integumentary tissues.
Foot fungus can be transmitted directly, for example, by walking barefoot on soil populated by fungal microorganisms, through infected plants or during close contact with a person or animal sick with ringworm.The indirect route of infection with mycotic diseases includes the development of fungal infection through the use of personal hygiene items from a person with a fungus, through clothing and linen, as well as during the use of patient care items.
The varying degrees of susceptibility to pathogens of mycotic 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 old are considered the most vulnerable age group.Most often, dermatologists diagnose infectious diseases caused by pathogenic fungal microorganisms in children, since the outer skin is still quite thin, which allows fungi to more easily feed on keratin, a skin-specific 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 penetration of pathogenic microflora, as well as the developed immune system protects it, therefore the child's body is constantly at risk of infection with various diseases and pathologies.
Athletes belong to the group of people who often find themselves in conditions of constant proliferation of fungus on the skin of their feet.Locker rooms and showers, often used by athletes before and after training, are an ideal environment for the intensive activity of fungal microorganisms, since the increase in air temperature and the increase in humidity concentration are ideal conditions for the activation of the pathogenic form of the fungus.
This is why excessive foot sweating often precedes the development of a fungal infection on the skin of the feet, which may be due to constant wearing of tight, uncomfortable shoes that do not allow airflow.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 impetus for the development of a fungal disease on the skin of the legs may be a change in the usual composition of the secretion of sweat glands (water, uric acid, ammonia, amino acids and fatty acids) to one that is more toxic to our body and more suitable for activating 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 associated with a decrease in the body's basal metabolism, which negatively affects the activity of organs of 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 becomes susceptible to infection with bacteria and fungal infections.
Specific fungal parasitism on the skin of the legs and body manifests itself in various symptoms depending on the stage of the disease.
A weak or erased form of fungal infection is the initial stage of the development of the disease and is distinguished by rather weakly expressed characteristic signs.A person who has an erased form of 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 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, 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 is not removed early.During the squamous-keratotic stage of the disease, fungal microorganisms form a white layer and 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 metatarsal.
The intertriginous form of fungal foot disease 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, accompanied by redness in the superficial layers of the skin.Edema is usually raw and prone to erosion.The infected area of the skin is characterized by significant detachment of the epidermis and the appearance of deep fissures, 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 severe 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 the administration of loading doses of potent drugs over a short period of time.It is characterized by the presence of blisters with liquid inside them across the entire surface of the foot, which can burst and form deep erosions in the skin, accompanied by pain, intense itching and multiple inflammatory processes.
The treatment of fungal infections of the feet is carried out in three ways: through external treatment, internal treatment and combined therapy.
External impact on the source of infection with antimycotic creams, ointments, gels, varnishes, powders, tonics and sprays is used in the early stages of the disease, when fungal parasitism has not yet spread.
The internal effect on pathogenic fungal microorganisms is carried out using fungicidal 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 case of fungal parasitism in the body, which occurs in 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 sufficient, since internal use of antimycotics can create additional complications and stress on the body.
The most effective drugs for getting 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 pathological effects of fungal microorganisms.Terbinafine is a substance included in many antifungal drugs, which makes it possible to eliminate fungal diseases caused by various pathogens.
For systemic treatment, which the attending physician prescribes in case of ineffectiveness of local medicines, medicines with active ingredients such as itraconazole and ketoconazole are used.This course of treatment is longer and is not recommended for pregnant women and women during breastfeeding, children under 3 years of age, people with liver disease and kidney failure.
To prevent the secondary development of the disease after treatment, you should take care to disinfect your hygiene items, personal belongings and wardrobe, as the fungus during the reproduction period is capable of leaving mycelium and other residues on the things of an infected person.
A special spray is suitable for antifungal treatment of shoes.The antiseptic medicine is intended to remove products of fungal cell proliferation from the personal belongings of a person suffering from ringworm.With 0.1% solution, rinse the inside of the shoes and leave overnight.The spray also disinfects shoes well, it is a hypoallergenic product that does not leave 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 carefully follow all preventive measures and monitor your health.Any disease, including fungal diseases, is always easier to prevent than to cure.