Athlete's foot - causes, symptoms, diagnosis and treatment
Athlete's foot - A widespread fungal skin lesions and nails stop. Depending on the clinical form of plaques may appear red, flat spots and papules with whitish scaling on the surface bubbles, cracks, erosions, the appearance of yellow stripes and spots on the nail plate thickening, or its rejection. Diagnosis of athlete's foot include dermatoscopy, fluorescent study, the definition of the pH-skin scrapings microscopy on pathogenic fungi, identification of related foot problems. athlete's foot treatment is carried out by the system and the local application of antifungal agents to conduct preliminary exfoliating or anti-inflammatory therapy.
Athlete's foot
fungal disease, spread all over the world. According to some estimates about 10% of the world population has athlete's foot. Up to 80% of the patients make certain professional categories of the population: Workers baths and hot shops, athletes, miners, etc. The cases of athlete's foot are found mainly among the adult population, and the city more often than people in rural areas.
athlete's nails and athlete's groin. fungus transmission from sick people healthy occurs by contact through common items in the public baths, swimming pools, saunas, gyms and shower. Spores of the fungus and mycelia are delaminated scales of the stratum corneum of the epidermis, which becomes abundantly sick athlete's foot. Caught in such a way on the soles of shoes, mats showers, sponges or rugs fungus is able to persist there for a long time, especially in warm and humid climates.
Infection by the fungus Trichophyton mentagrophytes not all people leads to athlete's foot. Development of the disease is favored different trophic disorders of the lower extremities that can occur in diabetes, varicose disease with chronic venous insufficiency, deep vein thrombosis and atherosclerosis of peripheral vessels, polyneuropathy, vegetative-vascular dysfunction. To promote the emergence of athlete's foot may be excessive sweating of the feet, tapered interdigital spaces, flat, alkaline reaction pot.
Dermatology outlines five options for athlete's foot: squamous, intertriginous, disgidroticheskuyu, erased and athlete's nails. These forms may be combined with each other or move into one another. Separately emit so-called epidermofitidy - allergic rash caused by sensitization to antigens of the fungus Trichophyton mentagrophytes.
Squamous athlete's foot manifested in the appearance of the skin of the arch or lateral surfaces of flat papules or plaques of reddish color with whitish-gray scaling. Lesions have clear boundaries and may resemble plaques typical of psoriasis. On the periphery, they are surrounded by a border of peeling of the epidermis with a single small bubbles. Often shelled elements are combined with hyperkeratosis in the form of yellow callus with cracks on the surface, resembling symptoms of traumatic dermatitis. Characterized by a mild and intermittent itching.
Intertriginous athlete's foot most often affects interdigital intervals III and IV, IV and V of fingers can move on the surface of flexion. Manifested foci of redness, swelling and skin soak, maceration, and cracks, the appearance of erosions. Patients notice itching in the lesions and pain in the formation of erosions.
Disgidroticheskaya athlete's foot characterized by the appearance of small blisters. The most frequent their location - the arch, however, may be affected leather soles, toes and interdigital folds. Bubbles grow merge and form multi-chamber bubbles after opening with a red-pink erosion remain on the skin. There soreness and itching. At the expressed inflammatory component occurs swelling and redness of the skin, which makes the clinical picture similar to athlete's foot disgidroticheskoy eczema.
Worn athlete's foot It is hardly noticeable symptoms in the form of small cracks or peeling chamber, located in the interdigital spaces.
Athlete nails. manifested their yellowish, thickened, brittle, or rejection of the nail plate. The most commonly affected nails I and V fingers.
Moisture, erosion and cracked skin, which often occur in the athlete's foot, favor the penetration into the skin streptococcal infection with the development of streptococcal, erysipelas, thrombophlebitis, phlebitis, lymphangitis or lymphadenitis.
mycologist or a dermatologist. As a rule, it is the examination of lesions using dermoscopy, holding fluorescent diagnostics with Wood's lamp, determining the pH of the skin. Microscopy scrapings from the skin and the affected nail plate is performed to identify the threads of mycelium or fungal spores, which must be differentiated from the mesh or loop structures mosaic fungus, is a product of the disintegration of cholesterol in the skin.
Microscopic examination does not give an answer to the question of what type of fungus is the causative agent. For the differential diagnosis of pathogens Trichophyton mentagrophytes other fungal diseases (Trichophyton, rubromikoza, candidiasis, tinea versicolor, coccidioidomycosis, etc.) Is also carried out sowing scrapings on nutrient medium.
Diagnostics related diseases tinea pedis may require additional consultation podiatry, podiatrist, vascular surgeon, phlebologist or endocrinologist.
Remove nail fungus affected.
The main stage of the treatment of athlete's foot is in the treatment of the affected areas of skin and /or the bed of the nail plate remote antifungal agents (nirofungin, Castellani liquid, ointment with miconazole, clotrimazole and so forth.). When persistent and prolonged duration of athlete's foot, accompanied by nail lesions, shows the system receiving antifungals: itraconazole, fluconazole, terbinafine, ketoconazole, etc.
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