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 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 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 floors, benches, paths and carpets. Humid and warm environments allow fungi to survive and multiply, especially on unpainted wooden objects. Wearing tight shoes increases the risk of infection.
If one of the family members is sick, there is a high risk of transmission of the disease through a towel, carpet or grate in the bathroom. Nails on the hands are infected mainly when combing the affected areas of the skin. The risk of disease increases with repeated nail injuries, reduced blood flow to the extremities and severe concomitant diseases (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 turns gray-brown, atrophies, and detaches from the bed. Loose layers form on the exposed surface. The hypertrophic form is characterized by subcutaneous hyperkeratosis, which causes pain when walking, changes in shape, and destruction of the nails. Nail plates become dull and thickened. With normotropic onychomycosis, the nail does not thicken and retains its shine. Stripes and spots that change color appear on the nail plate.
Treatment of nail fungus
Onychomycosis begins treatment immediately after diagnosis because the infection develops quickly. Therapy with local antifungal drugs is effective only in the initial stages. With the development of the disease, the use of systemic agents is required.
In order for systemic treatment of toenail fungus to be safe and effective, a few rules should be followed:
- Therapy can only be started after a confirmed diagnosis and consultation with a doctor, since antimycotics have a number of serious side effects. Self-selection of the dosage is not acceptable.
- During treatment with systemic antifungals, the use of other drugs, except essential drugs, should be restricted.
- The affected areas of the nail should be removed after softening them with keratolytic patches.
- To prevent indigestion during the treatment period, foods that can cause flatulence are excluded from the diet - black bread, dairy products, cabbage, legumes.
- You must choose comfortable shoes that do not squeeze the foot.
Treatment of onychomycosis of the nails at home
Traditional medicine offers several recipes for remedies that will help speed up recovery, but they should be used only in combination with the main treatment.
- Treat affected nails twice a day with 5% iodine solution. A slight burning sensation should be observed during use. If the pain is severe, treatment should be discontinued.
- To facilitate the separation of infected nails and promote 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 on overnight, take off in the morning, rinse with water and remove the softened areas of the nail. Treat the affected areas with an antiseptic. The duration of treatment is 2-3 weeks.
- Rub the garlic bulb and make compresses, applying gruel to infected nails for 10-15 minutes.
Prevention and prognosis of nail onychomycosis
To prevent the disease, you should observe personal hygiene and not use other people's clothes, shoes and towels. In baths, swimming pools and saunas, walk only in slippers and avoid contact with places where the pathogen may accumulate (wooden pallets and carpets). You need to wear comfortable shoes, avoid damaging your nails, and combat excessive sweating of your feet.
The prognosis is favorable, depending on the severity of the disease, full recovery will take from several weeks to a year. The effect of therapy is enhanced when damaged nails are removed. Re-infection is possible if the rules of personal hygiene are not followed.
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