Dermatologists in the clinic
Simple definition of fungal diseases
Fungal diseases (mycoses): infections caused by cultures of pathogenic fungi. The methods of transmission are different: by contact, by inhalation of spores, with food and drink, through objects, from animals.
Human skin is protected from fungal infections in a healthy condition because the acid-base balance of its surface moves slightly toward acidity. However, under some circumstances (closed shoes, excessive perspiration due to heat), the natural equilibrium is disrupted, and infection with fungal diseases of the skin is a concern.
Factors promoting disease
The most common fungal infections are fingernails and toenails. This is facilitated by a number of factors:
1-lack of vitamins.
2-endocrine disorders.
3-vegetative dystonia.
4-weakening of immunity.
5-neglect of personal hygiene.
6-skin trauma.
7-hyperhidrosis.
Fungal spores are more susceptible to high temperatures than to cold. Mushrooms may be frozen to retain their vitality, however after 15 minutes at 75 degrees above zero, they become harmless. Ironing or, more accurately, calcining the patient's garments with an iron is one of the techniques to avoid re-infection and infection spread in the case of skin fungal infections.
In addition to room temperature, humidity is key for fungal infections. In humid conditions, mushrooms survive for a long time outside the body. That’s why the risk of fungal infection in the bathroom or pool is so high. However, a dry environment does not kill either, but only temporarily inactivates fungal spores.
In this state, they can wait for years for favorable conditions for the release of explosive reproduction. All fungal diseases are divided into pathogens (with a high probability of infection during contact with a patient) and conditionally pathogenic (the disease only develops in people with weakened immunity).
Some fungal infections only affect children (for example, ringworm is rarely found in adults). Many chronic diseases change the acidic environment of the body and increase the risk of developing fungal infections (diabetes mellitus, obesity, diseases of the gastrointestinal tract and thyroid gland).
It is essential to treat infections caused by the fungus. These diseases do not go away on their own. You don't have to self-medicate either. Because fungi are extremely tenacious and actively spread their seed, there is a high risk of fungal spores spreading to other parts of the body and infecting other people. Even with timely referral to specialists, therapy sometimes takes months or even years, so attempts at self-treatment only exacerbate the situation, chronic and aggravate the course of the disease.
According to where the fungus settles, fungal illnesses are classified as mycoses of the skin or mycoses of the internal organs.
Also read : 4 Dangerous Signs of Clogged Arteries We Often Ignore
Skin mycosis
The most prevalent fungus of the feet and hands among cutaneous fungal infections. Mycosis usually affects the nails and the skin around them. In warm, humid public settings, the illness spreads to the feet (saunas, swimming pools, gyms).
Itching, flaking skin, vesicles, microcracks between the fingers, patches on the nail plates are the first signs of the disease, followed by unevenness and disintegration. Oral antifungal medications, ointments, and iodine are the only treatments available. All of the patient's shoes must be disinfected or replaced as a condition of treatment.
Microsporidia, often known as "lichen," is a fairly common fungal illness. The majority of youngsters become sick after coming into touch with animals. The illness has a 7-day incubation period, although infection from person to person is extremely rare even during this time. The scalp is frequently affected by this kind of fungus. Because the hair at the region of the disease's focus turns brittle and falls off, lichen is known as "ringworm."
The disease is diagnosed by laboratory tests. Treatment includes antimycotics, sulfur-salicylic and sulfur-tar ointments, iodine. If there are animals in the house, they are vaccinated to prevent a possible infection from a sick child and turn into a source of repeated mycosis. In most cases, inpatient treatment of sick children is recommended.
Also read : How can you save yourself from a stroke
Fungal diseases of the internal organs
Fungal infections, however, can affect not just the skin but also the interior organs. Many people's allergic reactions are directly linked to the presence of fungus spores in their bodies. Fungal infections frequently do not disturb their carriers (mild itching, inexplicable spots) and hence go untreated over lengthy periods of time.
These patients are highly easy hosts for fungus and active spore carriers into the environment due to a lack of cleanliness, obesity, and insufficient regularity of hygienic treatments. Carriers of visceral fungal infections, which damage internal organs, are doubly hazardous. Serious illnesses are the outcome of this "commonwealth" of man and fungus:
1-candidal esophagitis (damage to the esophagus).
2-candidiasis of the stomach and intestines.
3-generalized candidiasis (total dispersal of the fungus throughout the body, including the nervous system and brain).
4-candidiasis of the genitourinary organs.
Different countries have different levels of fungal illness prevalence. In certain states, 80 percent of the population is afflicted with a foot and hand fungus. According to data, one in every five people on the planet is affected with a fungus, which ranks second in the total structure of skin illnesses. This is due to the fact that fungal spores may be transmitted in a variety of ways, and their survival rate is quite high under all circumstances.
It is sometimes very difficult or impossible to establish that the origin of diseases of the internal organs is precisely fungi. But with obvious external signs of fungal infection, you should seek medical help urgently to get rid of the disease as quickly as possible and prevent the spread of fungal diseases.