The Dangers of Nail Fungus

Onychomycosis, or nail fungus, is such a common infection of the nails that one would think both doctors and their patients take it fairly seriously.

However, according to a study in the Journal of Drugs in Dermatology, most doctors just brush it aside when they see it.

Which is absolutely irresponsible because nail fungus can cause serious health consequences.

The authors of this study analyzed data from the National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey, focusing on the years 2007 to 2016. This study included a staggering 337 million doctor visits for onychomycosis.

These are their findings.

1. Only 20% of doctor’s visits resulted in a prescription for onychomycosis.

2. Dermatologists, who are nail disease specialists, were involved in just 25.8% of these visits, with general practitioners handling the majority (71.6%).

3. Dermatologists were less likely to prescribe treatment compared to GPs. A whopping 82% of dermatology visits and 78.9% of GP visits ended with no onychomycosis treatment.

The crux of this study is not that doctors should prescribe tons of synthetic antifungal drugs like ciclopirox, which has side effects that range from irritation, redness, rash, swelling, pain, blistering, oozing, headaches, heart palpitations, and fainting.

Instead, the danger is that doctors don’t take it very seriously because it’s just a cosmetic issue. As such, the researchers recommend that doctors receive education on the condition’s impact on quality of life.

They also warn that a fungal infection of the nails can have very serious complications. And there are very many of those.

1. The infection can create an entryway for bacteria, leading to deeper infections of tissue below the skin and nails.

2. As the nail thickens and changes shape, it can cause pain, especially when wearing shoes or walking. This will impair mobility and daily activities.

3. The fungus can spread beyond the initially affected nail to other nails, skin, or even to other people.

4. In people with weakened immune systems, there’s a risk of the infection spreading to other parts of the body.

5. In people with serious cases of diabetes or peripheral vascular disease, the combination of onychomycosis and poor blood flow increases the risk of gangrene and amputation.

The alarm bell rung by this study should be heard. Nail fungus should not be left untreated.

Fortunately, it’s quite easy for you to eliminate your nail fungus on your own. Here is a simple approach thousands of readers have successfully used…