1. Is athlete’s foot and beriberi the same?
The answer was not at that time, athlete’s foot and beriberi are two completely different diseases. The scientific name of beriberi is vitamin B1 (thiamine) deficiency and is one of the common nutrient deficiencies. The scientific name of athlete’s foot is tinea pedis, commonly known as “Hong Kong foot”, which is a skin disease of the feet caused by pathogenic fungus.
2. Why do I get athlete’s foot?
Tinea pedis is a fungal infection of the superficial skin of the feet caused by dermatophytes, which mainly affects the interdigital (toe), palms, plantars and lateral edges. In severe cases, it can spread to the back of the feet, wrists, and ankles. The pathogenic bacteria of tinea pedis is dermatophytes, including Trichophyton, Microsporum and Epidermophyton. Among them, the pathogenic bacteria are mainly Trichophyton. Clinically, about 16%-49% of foot fungal infections are caused by Candida; 12% are mixed infections; 1% are caused by molds other than dermatophytes.
To put it simply, dermatophytes live in your feet.
3. Are there many people who have athlete’s foot? What should I do if I have athlete’s foot and I feel inferior?
Don’t worry, tinea pedis is the most common superficial fungal infection. According to regional epidemiological survey data, the global incidence of natural population is more than 10%. For example, the average incidence in Europe is about 14%, and the incidence in most other regions It is 18%～39%. Among superficial fungal infections of the skin, tinea pedis accounts for more than 1/3.
Although you are the brightest star in the night sky, it’s really not because you are special to get athlete’s foot.
4. I have cured my athlete’s foot, will I have it again?
The recurrence rate of tinea pedis is high, and about 84% of patients have more than 2 attacks per year. Athlete’s foot has obvious effects on the health, work, social life and daily life of some patients. For example, more than half of the patients affect sleep or even work and life because of itching. Tinea pedis is as long as a boyfriend.
5. Will someone in my family get athlete’s foot?
Tinea pedis has a certain family susceptibility, especially the ‘two-feet and one-hand’ type of tinea pedis is more prominent. And athlete’s foot is contagious and can spread from person to person, animal to person, pollutant from person to person. It may be infected by mixing shoes and socks, walking barefoot in public baths, gyms, swimming pools and other places, and being in close contact with pathogenic bacteria. Environmental factors also play a role in the pathogenesis of superficial fungal infections. Hot and humid areas and hot seasons are the predisposing factors for the high incidence of dermatophyte infections. Excessive sweating of hands and feet, wearing airtight shoes or impaired immune function are also important susceptibility factors.
Parents who have already had athlete’s foot, stay away from children.
6. Who is easy to get athlete’s foot?
During pregnancy, due to endocrine changes, the skin’s ability to resist fungal infections decreases, and women are prone to tinea pedis. Obese people are prone to tinea pedis due to dampness between the toes and sweat soaking. The skin of the foot is traumatized, destroying the defense function of the skin, and it is also one of the factors that induce athlete’s foot. Diabetes patients suffer from tinea pedis due to lack of insulin, which leads to disorders of substance metabolism, increased skin sugar content and decreased resistance. Abuse of antibiotics, long-term use of corticosteroids and immunosuppressants, etc., make the skin’s normal flora imbalance and increase the susceptibility of athlete’s foot. The onset of tinea pedis is also related to lifestyle habits. Some people do not pay attention to the cleanliness of the feet and the condition of footwear, which provides a good breeding place for fungus.
So comrades who have the above situation, should pay special attention to it.
7. How can I confirm if I had athlete’s foot?
You can judge whether you have athlete’s foot based on the shape of the skin lesions and the results of laboratory tests. Generally, it can be divided into blister type, intertrivial erosion type, and scaly keratosis type in clinical practice, but several types can exist at the same time in clinical practice.
Blister type means that the primary damage is mainly small blisters, distributed in groups or scattered, with thick walls, clear contents, desquamation after dry absorption, and often accompanied by itching. Interfacial erosion is the most common type between the 4 to 5 and 3 to 4 toes. The skin lesions are manifested as interdigital erosion and dipping whiteness. The red erosion surface can be seen after removing the dipping white epithelium, with a little exudate. Scaly and keratotic skin lesions mostly involve palms and soles, showing diffuse skin roughness, thickening, desquamation, and dryness. Symptoms are mild, and chapped, bleeding, and pain are prone to occur in winter.
As for the laboratory test results, you have to follow the doctor’s arrangements.
8. What other diseases should tinea pedis be distinguished from?
Typical cases of tinea pedis are based on skin lesion characteristics and mycological examination. Check the results, easy to diagnose.
Tinea pedis must first be distinguished from local superficial fungal infections caused by Candida, non-dermatophyte molds and other fungus. Sometimes it is difficult to distinguish only by microscopic examination, and it is necessary to culture to determine the pathogenic bacteria. Tinea pedis needs to be differentiated from other diseases caused by microbial infections (such as pustular bacterial eruption, secondary syphilis, etc.). It should also be differentiated from dermatitis, eczema, sweat herpes, exfoliative keratolysis and palmoplantar pustulosis in the hand and foot area.
Mainly rely on mycological examination for identification, don’t worry, just follow the doctor’s advice.
9. What should I do if I had athlete’s foot?
The goal of treatment for tinea pedis is to eliminate pathogenic bacteria, quickly relieve symptoms and prevent recurrence.
It can be treated with only topical antifungal drugs, with quick onset, low cost and good safety. However, due to the long course of treatment, uneven drug application or insufficient coverage of the lesions, the curative effect is poor and the recurrence rate is high. The current clinically commonly used external antifungal drugs are as follows: imidazole antifungal drugs, allylamine antifungal drugs, and exfoliants.
Compared with local treatment, systemic treatment has the advantages of short course of treatment, convenient medication, no missed focus, high patient compliance, and low recurrence rate.
Finally, I must urge everyone to keep the feet dry and hygienic, keep away from the source of infection, early detection, early treatment and adherence to treatment, listen more to the doctor, and you can stay away from athlete’s foot.
