Infectious diseases are defined by dermatologists as one of the most dangerous disease groups for the population.The clinical picture, course, occurrence and spread of infectious diseases are characterized by certain signs that significantly distinguish them from other pathologies.
Fungal infection of the feet
Each infection has its own pathogen, it can be zoonosis, anthroponosis or zoonosis, that is, it parasitizes only animals or humans, but also animals and humans.
Infections are contagious diseases and can be passed from an infected body to a healthy body.The mass spread of an infectious disease causes an epidemic.
After suffering from a disease, the body develops resistance or immunity against the causative agent of this disease, which prevents re-infection.
Experts classify infectious diseases as pathologies characterized by a certain cyclical course with a clear sequence of disease periods: the incubation period or the period of latent symptoms, the prodromal period characterized by mildly expressed primary symptoms, the height of the disease with clearly manifested primary and secondary symptoms, extinction and complete recovery.
Despite the fact that there are many causative agents of infectious diseases and they differ in the external manifestations, predisposing factors and methods of elimination of the diseases caused by them, infectious diseases have a similar number of clinical manifestations: a sharp increase in body temperature up to fever and acceleration of the main metabolic reactions of the body.
Fungal infections spread quite easily and quickly, which is due to the conditional pathogenicity of fungal microorganisms.This means that fungi are constantly present in the environment and in the human body, and only show their presence when our normal living conditions change to those suitable for the proliferation and reproduction of fungi.
A signal for the pathological spread of the fungus, which causes the emergence of infectious diseases, is an increase in the concentration of moisture and heat in the environment.Therefore, the risk of fungal infections increases in common showers and bathrooms, swimming pools, saunas, baths and locker rooms.
Fungal microorganisms feed on keratin, a special protein in our epithelial tissue, so they settle mainly in skin areas where the epidermis is the thinnest and thinnest, for example, in the folds between fingers and toes, for easier removal of keratin.
The most common type of fungus is athlete's foot, because feet can remain in closed, uncomfortable shoes for long periods of time.Walking in closed shoes for a long time leads to increased sweating of the feet, which creates an ideal environment for the development of fungal infections.
The occurrence of a mycotic disease most often indicates the presence of infection-prone factors in the body.Chronic diseases, diabetes, kidney and liver failure, circulatory disorders, gastrointestinal disorders and a decrease in immunity, which can be observed against a constant psycho-emotional background, contribute to a general decrease in the protective functions of the body, as a result of which it becomes susceptible to the aggressive effects of environmental factors and pathogenic microorganisms.
In most cases, athlete's foot begins to develop in the folds between the toes, from there it spreads to the sides of the feet, and then the fungus and covers the ankles.In the case of ineffective elimination of the infection or lack of proper treatment, fungal toxins can enter the blood and circulate through the bloodstream.This can lead to disruption of physiological processes in internal organs, disruption of their integrity and structure, which will have a negative impact on maintaining the stability of the body's internal environment and overall vital activity.
Externally, mycotic infection is manifested by thickening of the infected area of the skin, microcracks and microtraumas, constant peeling of the epidermis, pathological dryness of the surface layers of the skin, severe itching and burning, increased pain;signs of inflammatory processes can be seen on the surface of the epithelial tissue;in more severe stages, fluid-filled bubbles appear in the epidermis, as a result of which the underlying skin softens and is quite easily susceptible to deformation.
Membranous foot fungus is characterized by the general signs of parasitism by fungal microorganisms, but also by a specific localization, as it occurs most often in the folds between the 4th and 5th toes.It is distinguished by the characteristic appearance of crusting at the source of infection and contributes to the regular formation of cracks in the integumentary tissues.Against the background of a fungal disease, bacterial infection can also develop in the body due to the violation of the integrity of the epithelial tissue, pathogens enter the external environment through wounds and microcracks.
Moccasin-like fungus, like shoes, can cover the entire foot, increasing the area of parasitism from the toes to the ankle and heel.When infected with foot fungus such as moccasin, a person experiences constant pain, itching, thickening of the surface layers of the heel epithelial tissue in the area of the most active division of fungal cells, and the skin itself is sensitive to the effects of very hot and cold temperatures and is often prone to microtraumas.
If a fungus forms on the nail plate, the nail begins to thicken, rises above the nail bed or, on the contrary, presses inward, creating strong pressure on the underlying skin.If a fungal infection is not treated immediately, the nail will begin to collapse and eventually separate from the nail bed.
Vesicular athlete's foot causes the most physical discomfort to a person, because it is usually characterized by the appearance of subcutaneous blisters filled with clear fluid on the bottom of the foot.Often they can burst, causing discomfort and pain accompanied by severe itching and burning, maceration of the skin and damage to the skin of the foot from the inside.Infection with a fungus can cause a bacterial infection, which will develop in response to a decrease in the body's immune defenses.
Depending on the stage of development of the fungal infection, the nature of the disease and the general clinical picture, the attending physician may prescribe local, systemic or combined treatment.
Local treatment of foot fungus is carried out using external drugs, such as varnishes, powders, gels, sprays, tonics, ointments and creams.
Systemic therapy includes the use of drugs for internal use, which are prescribed when the causative agent of fungal infection circulates in the blood for a long time, in the later stages of the disease, when the use of local drugs does not have the desired effect.Systemic therapy is rarely prescribed as an independent method of eliminating fungi, because in most cases it is combined with the use of external fungicidal drugs, which is called combined treatment.
Experts have found that drug groups such as allylamines and azoles work best against athlete's foot.Medicines with active substances from the group of allylamines or azoles inhibit the activity of the fungus, slow its growth, stop its reproduction and use the mycelium from the products of its vital activity.
The most common components in antifungal topical agents are naftifine, terbinafine, butenafine, itraconazole, clotrimazole, econazole, and miconazole.Dermatologists often advise people suffering from fungal foot infections to take medication to target the source of the infection externally.The course of treatment is from 7 to 10 days.
Medicines for oral administration are prescribed by doctors very carefully and only in extreme cases, when the fungus has already caused serious damage to human health or continues to multiply actively despite the regular use of local antifungal agents.Many side effects and various contraindications can complicate the treatment of fungal disease, creating an additional burden on the body, which is already exhausted by the fight against the pathogenic activity of fungi.
Dermatologists most often prescribe drugs with the active ingredients terbinafine and itraconazole for internal use, setting an individual dosage regimen.Adults are prescribed a course of therapy lasting several weeks, sometimes several months, if the disease is already in an advanced stage.Itraconazole tablets and capsules are taken 2 tablets at a dose of 100 mg every day for at least one week, and terbinafine is taken at a dose of 250 mg daily from 7 to 20 days.
Systematic adherence to the basic rules of prevention, regular washing of personal belongings, wearing high-quality comfortable shoes and periodic treatment of clothes and personal hygiene products with antifungal spray, including disinfection of the bathroom, toilet and floor coverings will help protect yourself from infection with pathogenic fungal microorganisms.