Fungal infection: diagnosis and prevention

Fungal infection is a disease caused by various pathogenic fungi. It suffers, according to the most conservative estimates, about 10% of the total population of the planet, according to other sources - 20-30%. And only in the last 10 years, the number of infected people has doubled. Fungal infection can affect different parts of the body: skin, hair, nails and internal organs.

As a rule, the disease does not pose a threat to human life and does not cause painful sensations, but nevertheless, if there are obvious symptoms, you should immediately consult a doctor. This must be done for many reasons. First, pathogenic bacteria can penetrate the lesions , which is a direct threat to human health. Secondly, treatment will exclude the possibility of infection of other family members. And thirdly, any, even sluggish, disease must be treated, since it weakens immunity. In addition, people who have a fungus are not allowed to visit many public places: gyms, swimming pools, sanatoriums, etc. And do not forget that some types of this disease (mainly affecting internal organs) are very dangerous, although there are Rarely enough.

Fungal skin infections can be detected by the following symptoms:

- itching and burning;

- Peeling;

- formation of cracks;

- redness, sometimes in the form of circles or rings;

- the appearance of blisters;

- brown or white spots on the skin.

All these signs may be a consequence of the development of the disease, and may be caused by other causes, so you can not do without a visit to the doctor. Fungal infection is a disease directly related to climatic conditions in the region. Residents of southern countries, where humidity is greatly increased, suffer from this disease much more often than inhabitants of northern regions with a moderate temperature regime.

Modern methods of diagnosis of fungal infection:

- KOH microscopy;

- PCR diagnostics;

- immune fluorescence reaction;

- serological method;

- bacteriological culture;

- Molecular genetic analysis.

The most effective are the last two methods, others are for express tests, and their effectiveness depends on the type of fungus. Only by determining the type of pathogen and its reaction to medications can a certain course of treatment be prescribed. Diagnosis of sexual infections caused by the development of pathogenic fungi is carried out by the same methods. In rare cases, ultrasound of the kidneys and computed tomography are additionally prescribed.

If the fungal infection has lesions only on the skin, it can be quickly and successfully cured with special drugs of systemic or local therapy. But much more effective will be preventive measures that will reduce the possibility of the disease to a minimum:

- observe personal hygiene;

- do not go without shoes in public places;

- Try to wear things less from synthetic fabrics;

- do not wear uncomfortable shoes;

- take a shower after visiting the sauna and pool.

And remember: never do self-medication, only a doctor can prescribe tests, determine the type of fungus, prescribe a course of treatment and, most importantly, exclude the risk of re-infection.