Fungal diseases of the skin and nails belong to the group of human infectious diseases that cause disease-causing fungi. Fungal infections (or mycoses ) are different, but skin and nail lesions are among the most common mycoses. It is a contagious disease that spreads from person to person.
Millions of people can infect you with mycosis
According to medical statistics and epidemiological studies, in Russia the presence of fungal nail disease can be expected in almost every tenth adult. According to the European project “Achilles”, about 25% of patients of any doctor (not necessarily a dermatologist) have a fungal disease of the skin or nails of the feet.
A group of Russian researchers led by Academician Yu.V. Sergeeva found that in Moscow, among quite prosperous strata of the population, more than 5% are affected by nail fungus. At the same time, the incidence over the past 10 years has increased by 2.5 times.
A further increase in the incidence is expected. This is a problem not only for our country, but also for all developed countries with a cold climate. For example, in Finland and Canada, mycoses of the nails of the feet were detected even more than in our country.
In Russia alone, there can be about 10 million people suffering from fungal diseases of the skin or nails of the feet. They are all contagious and everyone can transmit the infection to you. How is it transmitted? It’s simple: scales affected by the fungus fall from the skin or from under the nails. You can step on them and thus “pick up” a fungal infection.
Fungal nail disease often lurks in your family
Not surprisingly, getting a fungal infection is now very easy. However, the likelihood of having a fungus increases with age. Approximately 2 times for every 10 years of life. Therefore, it is several times more likely to become infected with a fungus from a person over 50 years old than from a young boy. Infection in 30% of cases occurs in the family, from a relative with a foot or nail fungus.
Most often, the infection is transmitted through shared shoes, but sometimes through other household items. With equal frequency, infection occurs in public places: in saunas, showers, gyms and sports halls, fitness centers and swimming pools. As a rule, the skin of the feet is affected first, and then the nails.
What if you are already infected and have mycosis?
Disease-causing fungi that cause skin and nail lesions are known to be pathogenic. This means that they cannot live on the skin or nails “just like that”. Having become infected, a person automatically becomes sick with a fungal disease (mycosis).