Onychomycosis is an infectious disease of the nails caused by pathogenic fungi. According to statistics, it occurs in every tenth person on Earth. About a third of all nail pathologies are due to fungal infections. More than 30% of cases occur in patients over 65 years of age. Toenail fungus is 3-5 times more common than on the hands.
Causes of onychomycosis of the nails
The disease begins with infection of the nail plates, which often occurs in public places - swimming pools, saunas and baths. Scales with spores of the pathogen fall on the floor, benches, paths and rugs. Humid and warm environments allow fungi to survive and multiply, especially on unpainted wooden objects. Wearing tight shoes increases the chance of infection.
If one of the family members is sick, then there is a high risk of transmission of the disease through a towel, rug or grate in the bathroom. Nails on the hands become infected mainly when combing the affected areas of the skin. The risk of the disease increases with repeated nail injuries, decreased blood circulation in the extremities and with severe comorbidities (diabetes, AIDS, systemic blood diseases).
Symptoms and types of onychomycosis
There are three forms of the disease - atrophic (onycholytic), normotrophic and hypertrophic onychomycosis. The characteristic symptoms are:
- the appearance of white or yellowish spots in the thickness of the nail plate;
- inflammatory process in the periungual roller;
- atrophy of the nail with separation from the bed;
- dystrophic processes in the nail plate.
With atrophic onychomycosis, the nail plate becomes grayish-brown, atrophies and separates from the bed. Loose layers are formed on the exposed area. The hypertrophic form is characterized by subcutaneous hyperkeratosis, which causes pain during walking, change in shape and destruction of the nails. Nail plates become dull and thickened. With normotrophic onychomycosis, the nail does not thicken and retains its shine. Stripes and spots appear on the nail plate, changing its color.
Nail fungus treatment
Onychomycosis begins to be treated immediately after diagnosis, as the infection develops rapidly. Therapy with local antifungal drugs is effective only in the initial stages. With the development of the disease, the use of systemic agents is necessary.
In order for the systemic treatment of toenail fungus to be safe and effective, several rules should be followed:
- Therapy can be started only after confirming the diagnosis and consulting a doctor, since antifungal agents have a number of serious side effects. Self-selection of dosage is unacceptable.
- During treatment with systemic antimycotics, the use of other drugs, except for vital ones, should be limited.
- The affected areas of the nail should be removed after softening them with keratolytic patches.
- To prevent digestive disorders during the treatment period, foods that can cause bloating are excluded from the diet - black bread, dairy products, cabbage, legumes.
- You need to choose comfortable shoes that will not squeeze the foot.
Treatment of onychomycosis of nails at home
Traditional medicine offers several recipes for remedies that will help speed up recovery, but they should only be used in combination with the main treatment.
- Treat affected nails 2 times a day with 5% iodine solution. During application, a slight burning sensation should be observed. With severe pain, treatment should be stopped.
- To facilitate the separation of infected nails and enhance regeneration, a 20% propolis tincture is used, which is applied to the lesions 2-3 times a day.
- Take a small piece of kombucha and attach it to the nails of a washed and steamed foot. Leave overnight, remove in the morning, rinse with water and remove the softened areas of the nail. Treat affected areas with an antiseptic. The course of treatment is 2-3 weeks.
- Grate the head of garlic and make compresses, applying the gruel to the infected nails for 10-15 minutes.
Prevention and prognosis of onychomycosis of nails
To prevent the disease, you should observe personal hygiene, do not use someone else's clothes, shoes and towels. In baths, pools and saunas, walk only in slippers, avoiding contact with places of potential accumulation of the pathogen (wooden pallets and rugs). You need to wear comfortable shoes, avoid damage to the nails and fight excessive sweating of the feet.
The prognosis is favorable, depending on the severity of the disease, complete recovery takes from several weeks to a year. The effect of therapy is enhanced when damaged nails are removed. Re-infection is possible if personal hygiene rules are not followed.
A photo
