Fungal diseases are a fairly common phenomenon. But not everyone understands how exactly such problems should be treated. Often people buy remedies at the pharmacy that were "recommended by their neighbor" or try to cope with conventional medicine. Some people with this approach to treatment suffer from their problem for years.
However, in order to effectively and quickly combat the fungus, specialist consultation and correctly selected drug therapy are required. After completing the necessary tests, the specialist can prescribe a drug that will help overcome the hated problem. Destruction of the fungus often requires procedural local treatment, which involves cleaning the affected tissue and neutralizing the source of infection. The most important thing to know is that independent treatment methods are not effective. Let's find out exactly how to choose the right treatment.
This article is not a guide to choosing medication yourself, but rather serves to better understand the basis for the treating dermatologist's decision-making. All situations are individual and it is easy to ignore contraindications and important nuances of the course of the disease, which the doctor will definitely notice and take into account when choosing antifungal therapy and the duration of treatment.
What is a fungus or mycosis?
Mycosis, popularly called fungus, is a series of highly contagious infectious diseases.
- Pathogens: parasitic fungi of various types (pathogenic and opportunistic).
- Affected area: skin, nails, hair, mucous membranes.
- Relapses: very likely.
Where you can catch it: public places like bathrooms, showers, gyms, swimming pools, beaches and more.
How does an infection occur: Contact with the mucous membrane causes micro-tears in the skin.
The disease is highly contagious. It is almost impossible to fully recover from this on your own. Mycoses are most dangerous for people with weakened immune systems when their general condition is worse than normal. The help of a doctor and the right choice of antifungal drugs can solve the problem.
You can become infected from someone else's cat or from contact with objects that have left spores of fungal infections. However, not all types of fungal infections are pathogenic. There are also species that are normally constantly present in the body and in some cases are even beneficial (e. g. Candida). However, if fungal growth has increased, treatment may be necessary.
Causes of mycoses
A healthy person with good immunity usually does not suffer from pathogenic fungi. If everything is in order with the immune system, it can easily cope with such a load and fungal development does not occur.
Decrease in immunity
If your immune system is weakened, your risk of developing the disease increases. If you have recently undergone antibiotic therapy, your immunity is always weakened and caution is required.
People with immunodeficiency, cancer patients and patients on cytostatic therapy are constantly at risk.
Inadequate hygienic use of public places
- When someone visits a swimming pool or public bathhouse, it is always necessary to have a personal towel and flip flops with them.
- The same should be done when visiting the gym.
- It is recommended to try on the shoes in the store with socks only.
- It is necessary to ensure that professionals in salons do not forget to sterilize instruments.
- You are not allowed to use other people's toiletries.
- Wearing tight shoes or synthetic underwear is not recommended.
- If the skin is damaged, you should not forget about antiseptics, as infection occurs through damaged areas.
Chronic illness
They themselves can weaken immunity and negatively affect the body's resistance. Skin diseases are particularly prone to problems such as fungal diseases: cracks, calluses. In some diseases, the skin becomes dry and brittle (varicose veins in patients with diabetes). All dermatological diseases pose a danger to humans.
personal qualities
There may be personal characteristics that create suitable conditions for fungal diseases. For example, hyperhidrosis or sweating of the palms and soles. There are other individual characteristics that create a good environment for different types of pathogenic fungi.
Types of mushrooms
There is no classification that describes pathogenic fungi. Diseases are usually classified according to symptoms and extent of spread. Superficial mycoses include diseases such as nail fungus, skin fungus and athlete's foot. The prevalence of mycoses can vary:
- Karatomycosis – when the microorganism is present only in the stratum corneum of the skin;
- Dermatomycosis – when the fungal infection has invaded the epidermis, hair follicles and dermis;
- Candidiasis – damage to the mucous membranes.
There are also systemic mycoses, which are characterized by damage not only to the external skin, but also to internal organs.
Types of pathogens:
- Yeasts are normally part of the microflora.
- Molds are pathogenic.
- Dodmiphorae are pathogenic.
In order to accurately determine the cause of the infection and then prescribe effective treatment with special means, a diagnosis is required. If the skin tissue is affected, a smear or curettage is performed. If the problem affects internal organs, the type of pathogen can be determined by microscopic examination using a blood test. Some types of infectious lesions have the same clinical symptoms and the exact cause can only be determined through analysis.
How to recognize a fungal disease – symptoms
Despite the fact that each type of infection has its own characteristics that manifest themselves at different stages of the disease, superficial mycoses also have common signs of the disease:
- Change in skin color – redness or loss of color;
- the appearance of constantly peeling or weeping spots;
- Itching;
- crusts.
For scalp damage:
- A sign of fungal infection is often dandruff;
- Fragility and hair loss.
On the face:
- the appearance of damage in the fold of the upper eyelid.
On the feet:
- cracks;
- Combustion;
- Blow;
- an unpleasant smell occurs more often;
- roughening of the skin;
- thickening of the skin;
- Ulcers (if additional bacterial infectious diseases are present).
On nails:
- small white dots on the plate;
- the affected nail has white streaks;
- Color change to black, yellow, brown;
- Change in structure (it becomes layered);
- nails become thicker or thinner;
- the nail plates move away from the bed;
- inflamed nail folds;
- Changes in the shape or relief of the nail.
The infection initially goes unnoticed and many people only notice nail fungus at an advanced stage of the disease process and not when the condition of the skin and nails can be corrected relatively easily and quickly. At the first signs of pathological changes, it is recommended to consult a specialist immediately.
Medicines for the treatment of fungus
Medicines used to treat fungi are called antifungals, derived from the words "anti" and "mycosis", but more often they are simply referred to as antifungals. Based on their action, such drugs are divided into two types:
- Drugs for the treatment of fungi that destroy spores - fungicides;
- Those that do not suppress the development and growth of a fungal infection, but do not destroy it, are fungistatics.
The type of treatment that the doctor prescribes is influenced by various factors, including the characteristics of the patient's body.
The effectiveness of a particular drug depends on the following factors:
- dosage of the active ingredient;
- Spectrum of action of the active ingredient.
Most often, the fungus is treated with topical medications such as antifungal ointments. Oral drugs (antifungal tablets) are used if the fungus cannot be cured by external application or if the disease is systemic in nature and has a long course. If the situation is very difficult, even injections can be used to cure the fungus.
Release forms
Topical antifungals are produced in various forms:
- Anoint;
- creams;
- sprays;
- Solutions;
- antifungal varnish (for nail lesions).
If the lesion is only external in nature, local therapy is sufficient. A characteristic feature of such drugs is that, unlike drugs for internal use, they have almost no side effects. With a more complex course of the disease and with relapses of the disease, complex therapy with systemic antifungal drugs is prescribed. Then therapy courses are possible. It is not always possible to correctly determine treatment methods based on clinical manifestations, so tests are required. Sometimes fungal diseases aggravate the course of allergic diseases from which the patient may suffer. In this case, sorbents may be prescribed.
One of the most common active ingredients for antifungal therapy is fluconazole. It is used for both external and internal lesions. The substance is found in various medicines. Available in tablets, capsules, injections and other forms. To prevent fungus, antiseptic agents are used for the skin of the feet, palms and nails. Prevention also includes taking vitamins on time to support the immune system.