Signs and Symptoms of Athletes Foot

Signs and Symptoms of Athletes Foot


Athletes Foot is a contagious skin infection caused by fungus which mainly affects upper layer skin of the foot especially when it is being irritated, moist & warm. This disease is also known as ringworm of the foot, tinea pedum, and moccasin foot. Trichophyton is solely responsible for the outcome of this disease. There are two different strain of Trichophyton which are solely responsible for this disease known as Trichophyton rubrum&Trichophyton mentagrophytes. There are some other causes which are responsible for this disease is keeping wet feet for long periods, wearing plastic lined closed shoes, lots of sweating and developing minor skin or nail injury. 

This is the most common dermatotype infection which affects about 70% of the world’s population even for a single time in their whole life span. The infection caused by this disease is quite sexually bios as men are affected by this skin disease 3-4 times more than women. This is usually seen in the men who are in their adolescence stage and in those persons who mostly wears occlusive shoes.  This infection is usually occurs in summer months. The chances of being infected by these fungi are increased simultaneously with the aging. Most persons are affected by this disease after puberty or in between the age of 20 to 50 years. 

This disease is very much contagious may be transmit from the affected person to normal one through direct or indirect contact. The direct contact means skin contact whereas the indirect is contact of used substances like towels, clothes used by the affected person to the normal one. This disease can be classified into three types- i) Toe Web infection ii) A moccasin type infection iii) Vascular type infections etc. This disease is usually diagnosed by visual observation of the skin as well as it may be detected through KOH test or using wood lamp too.
                 

The signs and symptoms of this disease usually vary from person to person as per the specific type of this disease. The sign and symptoms which are usual in the patients and commonly reported are discussed in the following:

 
  • ·         Itching and burning is the main visual sign of this disease. Cracking and itchy, moist, white, scaly lesions or sores between the toes frequently spreading to the sole of the foot are the most common symptoms of this disease.
  • ·         Athletes Foot caused by T. rubrummay exhibit quite different symptoms like dry, scaly form that causes a reddish "moccasin-like" area over the soles of the feet.
  • ·         Painful lesions sometimes appear as a result of the infection by the fungus which is also blistering and sometimes become weepy too.
  • ·         Inflammation may be appearing on the affected portion of the body due to severe infection by the causative agent.
  • ·         The skin of the affected area becomes dry which finally leads to the breakage of the skin.
  • ·         Scaling of the skin may be found as the breakage of the skin occurs.
  • ·         Blistering leads to cracking of the skin in some cases.

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