This is what causes onychomycosis on the big toe

Onychomycosis of the big toe is a relatively common disease among the population, which seriously affects people's appearance. In particular, it is highly contagious, which makes patients very inferior and afraid to wear shoes that expose their toes. In fact, onychomycosis on the big toe is caused by fungal infection. Only by determining the type of fungus that causes it and treating it symptomatically can it be cured quickly.

1. Causes of infection of big toe onychomycosis

Onychomycosis is an infectious disease that occurs on human nails, medically known as onychomycosis, which is caused by fungal infection. There are many kinds of pathogenic fungi that can cause onychomycosis. The latest results of etiological investigations show that onychomycosis among Chinese people is mainly caused by three fungal infections: dermatophytes, yeasts and molds, and there is a certain proportion of mixed infections.

The first prerequisite for curing onychomycosis is a correct diagnosis. Abnormalities in fingernails or toenails do not necessarily mean onychomycosis. Many skin diseases and systemic diseases can also cause nail changes. For example, nail diseases caused by psoriasis, eczema, continuous acrodermatitis, Raynaud's disease, etc. have certain similarities in symptoms with onychomycosis. It is often difficult for patients themselves to distinguish, and one of the most important diagnostic reference indicators is a positive fungal microscopy or culture. Therefore, after becoming ill, you should immediately go to the dermatology department of a regular hospital for treatment. You can do a fungal test or culture, and then develop a treatment plan after confirming onychomycosis.

In fact, onychomycosis is not difficult to treat. The most important thing is to go to the dermatology department of a regular hospital to receive correct treatment. Patients should know more about onychomycosis treatment so that they can discuss with their doctors the treatment plan that best suits them. It will also be easier for them to understand the doctor's treatment intentions and better cooperate with the doctor to cure the disease.

2. Treatment methods for onychomycosis

The traditional treatment for onychomycosis is to scrape the brittle diseased nail with a knife before using the medicine, or to thin the diseased nail and then apply 5% iodine tincture or 10-30% glacial acetic acid solution. This method will take at least a year to be effective. Many patients often discontinue treatment due to the color of iodine, the smell of glacial acetic acid and the long treatment period. Moreover, the dense structure of the nail itself hinders the penetration of topical medications. Therefore, the cure rate of topical medications alone is low, and they are currently mainly used in combination with oral medications.

Although surgical nail removal is a simple method, it is sometimes difficult to completely remove the diseased nail, and there is still a chance that the fungus in the nail bed will invade the nail plate again. The recurrence rate is high, and the severe pain caused after surgery and the possible secondary infection bring many inconveniences to life and work. Therefore, it is rarely used nowadays. Later, the medical community researched and developed oral antifungal drugs, early ones including griseofulvin and ketoconazole. These drugs are easy to take, but are gradually being eliminated due to their unstable efficacy, small antibacterial range, high recurrence rate and worrying side effects, as well as the long medication time of half a year to more than a year and a half.

In recent years, the emergence of a new generation of oral antifungal drugs has brought about a major breakthrough in the treatment of onychomycosis. It can be said that as long as onychomycosis is treated actively, it can be completely cured. Currently, doctors mainly recommend oral broad-spectrum antifungal drugs that are simple and convenient to use, such as itraconazole (Sporanox capsules). This drug has a broad antifungal spectrum and can effectively treat onychomycosis caused by various fungal infections including dermatophytes, yeasts and molds. Clinical studies have shown that the effective cure rate is 85-90%.

Due to its high lipophilicity and keratinophilicity, the drug can continue to work in the nails for more than 10 months after taking the course of treatment, and the ugly onychomycosis will be replaced by healthy nails. The drug is currently safely used in 73 countries around the world and is taken by more than 70 million people.