Onychomycosis

The onychomycosis is the disease of nails caused by a fungal infection. This pathology is very widespread, all suffers from an onychomycosis from 10-20% of the population of the globe. Contagiums are most often dermatophytes, is slightly more rare – a trichophytosis, microsporias and epidermophitias. Very often activity of dermatophytes is complicated by the accompanying development of drozhzhepodobny or mouldy mushrooms which strengthen negative displays of a disease and cause resistance to therapy.

Epidemiology and pathogeny

Infection with an onychomycosis happens during visit of baths, saunas, swimming pools and other places of public use. It is possible to catch an onychomycosis, having touched benches, lattices, paths, carpets and any other objects on which surface skin scales, the containing pathogenic microorganisms get. Let's note also that all activators which cause an onychomycosis not only perfectly feel in the conditions of the increased humidity, but also keep at the same time productive capacity. Uncolored wooden surfaces are most dangerous from the point of view of transmission of infection. Quite often distribution of an onychomycosis happens in one family when people use the general slippers, basts, towels, etc. Usually scales disappear during combing of affected areas of skin.

The onychomycosis is provoked also by some other factors. So, for example, the infection arises at people with disturbance of blood circulation of extremities, a diabetes mellitus, HIV, immunodeficiency more often, and also to those patients who completed a course of corticosteroid, immunosuppressive or antibacterial therapy earlier. Speaking more simply, people with the weakened immune system therefore treatment of an onychomycosis has to include fortifying therapy surely are subject to this disease.

Types of an onychomycosis

Allocate three types of an onychomycosis: normotrofichesky, hypertrophic and atrophic.

• The Normotrofichesky onychomycosis – a nail keeps the normal thickness and natural gloss. Changes affect only coloring of plates which changes color because of emergence of strips and spots in lateral departments;
• Hypertrophic onychomycosis – treatment is complicated because of the accruing hypodermic hyperkeratosis which leads to deformation and partial destruction of nails, and also to pain when walking. Nails become dim, tarnish and are thickened;
• The atrophic type of an onychomycosis – an affected area of a nail plate gets brownish-gray coloring and over time atrophies with simultaneous rejection from a bed.

Onychomycosis symptoms

Symptoms of an onychomycosis depend on type of a disease and weight of a clinical current. However, it is possible to allocate a number of the main symptoms which are characteristic of all types of a disease:

• Emergence of white or yellowish spots in the thickness of a nail;
• Inflammation of the periungual roller;
• Dystrophic changes of a nail plate;
• Atrophy of a nail and its separation from a bed.

The preliminary diagnosis is made by the dermatologist on the basis of external survey specifying diagnosis is carried out by means of microscopic examination of scraping, in certain cases can be required бакпосев. After diagnosis treatment of an onychomycosis has to begin immediately as the infection develops quickly enough and can extend, infecting other nails.

Onychomycosis – treatment of a disease

Treatment of an onychomycosis in most cases begins with local antifungal therapy – the ointments and creams containing antimycotics (the antibiotics capable to influence a fungal infection) are used. If the nail plate contains the died-off sites, they need to be removed. Removal of a nail plate is made or by a surgical method, or by means of special keratolytic means which are applied on the struck surfaces, soften them and allow to get rid of a nail almost without serious consequences.

Local therapy can be enough at an early stage of a disease, in other cases also system treatment is shown. Briefly about the most widespread drugs which are applied for this purpose:

• Griseofulvin – is the first antimycotic of systemic action which began to be used at treatment of an onychomycosis. It is effective approximately in 40% of cases, but a large number of side effects and high percent of a recurrence significantly limit its use;
• Ketokonazol – is accepted during food once a day. The course of treatment proceeds within 8-12 months. Drug cures an onychomycosis in 50% of cases. Preliminary removal of the struck plates by a surgical method allows to increase efficiency of a ketokonazol;
• Itrakonazol – one of the most efficient drugs. The course of treatment lasts 7-10 days. Positive dynamics is observed at 80-85% of patients. Unlike other means, итраконазол it is rather effective even without removal of the damaged nail plates;
• Terbinafin – is accepted daily within 2-3 months. Completely the effect of treatment is shown not at once, and 48-50 weeks later from the moment of the termination of a course. Treatment terbinafiny allows to achieve success even in persistent cases, with its help 80-90% of patients recover.

All above-mentioned drugs have serious side effects therefore the choice of drug is carried out only by the doctor on the basis of data of a microbiological research and taking into account individual contraindications. At any signs of intolerance reception of medicine it is necessary to stop and pick up other drug.

National treatment of an onychomycosis

At once we will make a reservation: if you use exclusively folk remedies, it will be very difficult to achieve treatment of an onychomycosis. It is better to apply national methods as addition to system therapy, and also to prevention of a recurrence after completion of the main treatment. For this purpose we offer you several simple recipes.

1. One of methods consists in processing of affected areas of a nail 5% solution of iodine 2 times a day. At the same time burning can be felt. If it weak, then everything is all right - means has the necessary effect. If a megalgia, then processing by iodine has to be stopped;
2. At an onychomycosis note favorable effect of propolis. It facilitates an otkhozhdeniye of the infected nail and promotes rapid growth of healthy fabrics. Propolis is applied on the struck places in the form of 20% tincture or extract;
3. The known means of fight against a fungus on nails is the compress from a tea mushroom. For this purpose take a piece of a mature tea mushroom and primatyvat to a nail bandage, having previously carefully washed up and having a little steamed out legs. Such compress is imposed on all night long. It is necessary to remove a compress in the morning, to wash out nails warm water and to remove devitalized sites then to process a nail and the skin adjoining to it spirit solution of iodine or any other antiseptic agent. Treatment by a tea mushroom should be continued for several weeks.