As fungi thrive in warm and moist areas, people who sweat profusely make ideal targets for fungi to flourish in such parts of their bodies where sweat collects. Athlete’s foot, ring worms and jock itch are all because of fungal growth. In most adults Onychomycosis, which is fungal infection of the nails is a very common infection affecting their toenails and fingernails.
It is prevalent among the elderly, almost 90% of senior citizens suffering from it, while as little as 2.6% of those under 18 years of age have been reported to suffer from it. In the adult population about 8-9% of people are affected by Onychomycosis.
Causes of Onychomycosis
The causes for people to get Onychomycosis are frequent contact with water bodies like rivers and swimming pools where infections can spread, skin being moist for prolonged periods, other nail infections or deformities and regular use of closed footwear so that the feet, especially the toes are moist with sweat and warm due to lack of air circulation. The most common pathogens that cause fungal infections in people are Candida, dermatophytes and non dermatophytic molds.
People living in hot and humid climates are more likely to suffer from these fungal infections especially if one uses common shower rooms and gyms and swimming pools where infections can spread easily. If one submerges their hands and or feet frequently in water, they are more likely to suffer from Onychomycosis. Sharing of tools during manicures and pedicures can also lead to fungal infections.
Symptoms of Onychomycosis
The symptoms include thick and yellow nails; they become brittle and crumbly and at times separate from the nail bed. There are no pains or aches associated with the fungal infections unless the infection is severe. Sometimes there is the risk of the fungal infection getting misdiagnosed as contact dermatitis or psoriasis or other such skin diseases; so in such cases where there is ambiguity a culture test of the nail scraping should be done to eliminate other possible infections.
Other possible means of identifying the fungal infection are histology and potassium hydroxide smears, as the case may be. Different types of fungi attack different people and for those who have a weakened immune system, the risk of such infections increase manifold. In some cases skin lesions elsewhere can lead to fungal infections in the nails.
Treatment Measures for Onychomycosis
Treatment for Onychomycosis can be varied depending on the type of the infections and the antifungal medications can be systemic or topical or both in some cases. Such medication speeds up the process of infection-free nail growth and thus gets rid of the problem, though there is a good chance of the infection recurring. Though in most cases fungal infections of the nails the treatment is usually between 6 – 8 weeks, the complete results can usually be seen only after about four months or so, as it takes that long for the infection to be eliminated completely.
Medication
Generic medicines amorolfine and itraconazole are used for topical and oral treatment of the fungal infection respectively. About 36 – 46% cases are completely cured in the topical usage and about 61 – 75% cases are cured in the oral therapy with pulse dosing.
Tests have proved that the generic drugs ciclopiroxolamine and butenafine are also successful if administered orally over a prolonged treatment period for up to a year. However, as for topical applications, amorolfine has proved more effective in test studies. In stubborn cases a nail lacquer can be prescribed for regular application over the affected nails to provide sustained relief.
Laser Treatment
In recent years, laser treatment used for cataract surgeries is also used for addressing fungal infections in the nails and the treatment is effective with just one sitting. However, several such laser procedures are pending with the FDA for approval, so there is no surety regarding the safety or effectiveness of such treatments.
Natural Remedies
Though there are also many natural remedies like the Australian tea tree oil, snakeroot leaf extract, grapefruit seed extract and thymol that are suggested by many societies, the only one treatment to have shown some positive result in clinical studies is the thymol.
You have to ensure that your extremities are regularly cleaned and that your hands, feet and nails are well maintained to ensure that you live life free from infectious diseases.
