Fungal Infection(MYCOSIS)
Definition
Fungal infections are any disease or condition you get from a fungus. They usually affect your skin, hair, nails, mucous membranes but they can also infect other parts of your body.
Causes
Fungi exists in our everyday environment without causing any adverse reaction however certain conditions can cause the fungi to overgrow and cause fungal infections. Those conditions include:
- Weakened immune system
- Travel to an environment with excessive fungi
- Outbreak of fungi due to changes in the environment, such as construction
- Introduction of new fungi to an environment
Types of common fungal infections.
- Ringworm (dermatophytosis) – A group of fungi that live off of skin, hair and nail cells. They can infect your feet (tinea pedis/athlete’s foot), your groin and inner thighs (tinea cruris/jock itch), your scalp (tinea capitis), your hands (tinea manuum), your facial hair and skin around it (tinea barbae) and other parts of your body (tinea corporis).
- Onychomycosis- Infections of your fingernails or toenails. This can cause discoloured and cracked nails.
- Candidiasis- Candida causes skin and mucous membrane (mucocutaneous) infections called candidiasis. These include oral thrush, some types of diaper rash, vaginal yeast infections (vulvovaginitis), oesophageal candidiasis etc
- Tinea versicolor- The fungus causes skin discoloration.
How Fungal Infections spread
- From damp public spaces, like showers and locker rooms eg swimming pools, gyms
- Through a break in your skin or an injury.
- From breathing fungus in from the environment (like soil or dust).
- From taking antibiotics, which can allow some fungi that are naturally found on your body to grow out of control.
- You can get some infections from direct contact with an infected person or animal.
Symptoms
Symptoms of fungal infection really depend on the area affected i.e Superficial or Systemic.
Superficial symptoms
- Itching, soreness, redness, rash or darkening of the skin.
- Discoloured, thick or cracked nails.
- Pain while eating, loss of taste or white patches in mouth or throat.
- A painless lump under your skin.
Systemic symptoms
- Cough, sometimes coughing up blood.
- Fatigue
- Fever
- Shortness of breath.
- Muscle aches
- Joint pain
- Headache
- Night sweats
Please note that these symptoms are very common to other diseases and conditions as well hence do not necessarily means presence of a fungal infection
Diagnostics
A healthcare provider may provide a diagnosis depending on the area affected. They could use visible signs of the infection or collect samples eg blood sample, phlegm, spinal fluid, nail clippings, body secretions.
For more systemic fungal infections eg in the brain or lungs XRAYS, MRI’S or CT SCANS are done.
Treatment
As we have seen above, fungal infections vary with the area affected and as such treatment also depends on the are affected. Below are various treatment forms :
- Oral medication (pills).
- IV medication, given to you at a doctor’s office or hospital directly into a vein.
- Lotion, cream or powder.
- Mouthwash or lozenges.
- Eye drops.
- Shampoo.
Conclusion
Important to note and the good news is that fungal infections can be prevented! This is by practicing good personal hygiene and protecting yourself from fungi that are found in the environment. Tips for avoiding fungal infections include:
- Shower after getting dirty or sweaty. Don’t let areas of your skin stay damp.
- Don’t walk barefoot in public bathrooms, showers or locker rooms.
- Keep your nails short and clean.
- Only take antibiotics as prescribed. If you take antibiotics for too long, yeast can overgrow in your body and cause an infection.
- If you live in an area with harmful fungus in the soil, wear a mask or stay indoors with the windows closed during dust storms.
