Athlete's foot

Jump to navigation Jump to search
Athlete's foot or tinea pedis
Pale, flaky & split skin of athlete's foot in a toe web space
ICD-10 B35.3
ICD-9 110.4
DiseasesDB 13122
MedlinePlus 000875
eMedicine derm/470 

WikiDoc Resources for Athlete's foot

Articles

Most recent articles on Athlete's foot

Most cited articles on Athlete's foot

Review articles on Athlete's foot

Articles on Athlete's foot in N Eng J Med, Lancet, BMJ

Media

Powerpoint slides on Athlete's foot

Images of Athlete's foot

Photos of Athlete's foot

Podcasts & MP3s on Athlete's foot

Videos on Athlete's foot

Evidence Based Medicine

Cochrane Collaboration on Athlete's foot

Bandolier on Athlete's foot

TRIP on Athlete's foot

Clinical Trials

Ongoing Trials on Athlete's foot at Clinical Trials.gov

Trial results on Athlete's foot

Clinical Trials on Athlete's foot at Google

Guidelines / Policies / Govt

US National Guidelines Clearinghouse on Athlete's foot

NICE Guidance on Athlete's foot

NHS PRODIGY Guidance

FDA on Athlete's foot

CDC on Athlete's foot

Books

Books on Athlete's foot

News

Athlete's foot in the news

Be alerted to news on Athlete's foot

News trends on Athlete's foot

Commentary

Blogs on Athlete's foot

Definitions

Definitions of Athlete's foot

Patient Resources / Community

Patient resources on Athlete's foot

Discussion groups on Athlete's foot

Patient Handouts on Athlete's foot

Directions to Hospitals Treating Athlete's foot

Risk calculators and risk factors for Athlete's foot

Healthcare Provider Resources

Symptoms of Athlete's foot

Causes & Risk Factors for Athlete's foot

Diagnostic studies for Athlete's foot

Treatment of Athlete's foot

Continuing Medical Education (CME)

CME Programs on Athlete's foot

International

Athlete's foot en Espanol

Athlete's foot en Francais

Business

Athlete's foot in the Marketplace

Patents on Athlete's foot

Experimental / Informatics

List of terms related to Athlete's foot

Please Take Over This Page and Apply to be Editor-In-Chief for this topic: There can be one or more than one Editor-In-Chief. You may also apply to be an Associate Editor-In-Chief of one of the subtopics below. Please mail us [2] to indicate your interest in serving either as an Editor-In-Chief of the entire topic or as an Associate Editor-In-Chief for a subtopic. Please be sure to attach your CV and or biographical sketch. Athlete's foot (tinea pedis) is a fungal infection of the skin that causes scaling, flaking, and itching of affected areas. It is typically transmitted in moist areas where people walk barefoot, such as showers or bathhouses. Although the condition typically affects the feet, it can spread to other areas of the body, including the groin. Athlete's foot can be prevented by good hygiene, and is treated by a number of pharmaceutical and other treatments.

Symptoms

Athlete's foot causes scaling, flaking, and itching of the affected skin. Blisters and cracked skin may also occur, leading to exposed raw tissue, pain, swelling, and inflammation. Secondary bacterial infection can accompany the fungal infection, sometimes requiring a course of oral antibiotics.[1][2]

The infection can be spread to other areas of the body, such as the groin, and usually is called by a different name once it spreads, such as tinea corporis on the body or limbs and tinea cruris (jock itch or dhobi itch) for an infection of the groin. Tinea pedis most often manifests between the toes, with the space between the fourth and fifth digits most commonly afflicted.[3][4][5]

Diagnosis

Diagnosis can be performed by a pharmacist, general practitioner, and by specialists such as a dermatologist or podiatrist.

Athlete's foot can usually be diagnosed by visual inspection of the skin, but where the diagnosis is in doubt direct microscopy of a potassium hydroxide preparation (known as a KOH test) may help rule out other possible causes, such as eczema or psoriasis.[6] A KOH preparation is performed on skin scrapings from the affected area. The KOH preparation has an excellent positive predictive value, but occasionally false negative results may be obtained, especially if treatment with an anti-fungal medication has already begun.[3]

If the above diagnoses are inconclusive or if a treatment regimen has already been started, a biopsy of the affected skin (i.e. a sample of the living skin tissue) can be taken for histological examination.

A Wood's lamp, although useful in diagnosing fungal infections of the hair (Tinea capitis), is not usually helpful in diagnosing tinea pedis since the common dermatophytes that cause this disease do not fluoresce under ultraviolet light.[3] However, it can be useful for determining if the disease is due to a non-fungal afflictor.

Transmission

Transmission from person to person

Athlete's foot is caused by a parasitic fungus and is a communicable disease.[7] It is typically transmitted in moist environments where people walk barefoot, such as showers, bath houses, and locker rooms.[8][9][7] It can also be transmitted by sharing footwear with an infected person, or less commonly, by sharing towels with an infected person.

Transmission to other parts of the body

The various parasitic fungi that cause athlete's foot can also cause skin infections on other areas of the body, most often under toenails (Onychomycosis) or on the groin (tinea cruris).

Prevention

The practices given in this section do not only help prevent spread of the fungus, they can also help greatly in managing and curing athlete's foot in an individual by reducing or eliminating re-exposure to the fungus in one's home environment.

The fungi that cause athlete's foot can live on shower floors, wet towels, and footwear. Athlete's foot is caused by a fungus and can spread from person to person from shared contact with showers, towels, etc. Hygiene therefore plays an important role in managing an athlete's foot infection. Since fungi thrive in moist environments, it is very important to keep feet and footwear as dry as possible.

Prevention measures in the home

The fungi that cause athlete's foot live on moist surfaces and can be transmitted from an infected person to members of the same household through secondary contact.[10] By controlling the fungus growth in the household, transmission of the infection can be prevented.

Bathroom hygiene

  • Spray tub and bathroom floor with disinfectant after each use to help prevent reinfection and infection of other household members.

Frequent laundering

  • Wash sheets, towels, socks, underwear, and bedclothes in hot water (at 60 °C / 140 °F) to kill the fungus.
  • Change towels and bed sheets at least once per week.

Avoid sharing

  • Avoid sharing of towels, shoes and socks between household members.
  • Use a separate towel for drying infected skin areas.

Prevention measures in public places

  • Wear shower shoes or sandals in locker rooms, public showers, and public baths.
  • Wash feet, particularly between the toes, with soap and dry thoroughly after bathing or showering.
  • If you have experienced an infection previously, you may want to treat your feet and shoes with over-the-counter drugs.

Personal prevention measures

  • Dry feet well after showering, paying particular attention to the web space between the toes.
  • Try to limit the amount that your feet sweat by wearing open-toed shoes or well-ventilated shoes, such as lightweight mesh running shoes.
  • Wear lightweight cotton socks to help reduce sweat. These must be washed in hot water and/or bleached to avoid reinfection. New light weight, moisture wicking polyester socks, especially those with anti-microbial properties, may be a better choice.
  • Use foot powder to help reduce moisture and friction. Some foot powders also include an anti-fungal ingredient.
  • Wear open-toed shoes or simply light-weight socks without shoes when at home.
  • Keep shoes dry by wearing a different pair each day.
  • Change socks and shoes after exercise.
  • Replace sole inserts in shoes/sneakers on a frequent basis.
  • Replace old sneakers and exercise shoes.
  • To prevent jock itch: When getting dressed, put on socks before underwear.[11]
  • After any physical activity shower with a soap that has both an antibacterial and anti-fungal agent in it.

Treatments

There are many conventional medications (over-the-counter and prescription) as well as alternative treatments for fungal skin infections, including athlete's foot. Important with any treatment plan is the practice of good hygiene. Several placebo controlled studies report that good foot hygiene alone can cure athlete's foot even without medication in 30-40% of the cases.[12] However, placebo-controlled trials of allylamines and azoles for athlete’s foot consistently produce much higher percentages of cure than placebo.[13]

Conventional treatments

Conventional treatment typically involves daily or twice daily application of a topical medication in conjunction with hygiene measures outlined in the above section on prevention. Keeping feet dry and practicing good hygiene is crucial to preventing reinfection. Severe or prolonged fungal skin infections may require treatment with oral anti-fungal medication. Apply zinc oxide based diaper rash ointment. To prevent sweaty or wet feet that are breeding grounds for athlete's foot, apply talcum powder (baby powder) to absorb moisture that kills off the infection.

Topical medications

The fungal infection is often treated with topical antifungal agents, which can take the form of a spray, powder, cream, or gel. The most common ingredients in over-the-counter products are miconazole nitrate (2% typical concentration in the United States) and tolnaftate (1% typ. in the U.S.). Terbinafine, is another over-the-counter drug. There exists a large number of prescription antifungal drugs, from several different drug families. These include ketaconazole, itraconazole, naftifine, nystatin, caspofungin. One study showed that allylamines (terbinafine, Amorolfine, naftifine, butenafine) cure slightly more infections than azoles (Miconazole, ketaconazole, clotrimazole, itraconazole, sertaconazole, etc.).[13] Undecylenic acid (a castor oil derivative) is a known fungicide that can be used for fungal skin infections such as athlete's foot. Whitfield's Ointment (benzoic and salicylic acid) is an older treatment that still sees occasional use.

Some topical applications such as carbol fuchsin (also known in the U.S. as Castellani's paint), often used for intertrigo, work well but in small selected areas. This red dye, used in this treatment like many other vital stains, is both fungicidal and bacteriocidal; however, because of the staining it is cosmetically undesirable. For many years gentian violet was also used for bacterial and fungal infections between fingers or toes.

The time line for cure may be long, often 45 days or longer. The recommended course of treatment is to continue to use the topical treatment for four weeks after the symptoms have subsided to ensure that the fungus has been completely eliminated. However, because the itching associated with the infection subsides quickly, patients may not complete the courses of therapy prescribed.

Anti-itch creams are not recommended as they will alleviate the symptoms but will exacerbate the fungus; this is due to the fact that anti-itch creams typically enhance the moisture content of the skin and encourage fungal growth. For the same reason, some drug manufacturers are using a gel instead of a cream for application of topical drugs (for example, naftin and Lamisil). Novartis, maker of Lamisil, claims that a gel penetrates the skin more quickly than cream.

If the fungal invader is not a dermatophyte but a yeast, other medications such as fluconazole may be used. Typically fluconazole is used for candidal vaginal infections moniliasis but has been shown to be of benefit for those with cutaneous yeast infections as well. The most common of these infections occur in the web spaces (intertriginous) of the toes and at the base of the fingernail or toenail. The hall mark of these infections is a cherry red color surrounding the lesion and a yellow thick pus.

Oral medications

Oral treatment with griseofulvin was begun early in the 1950s. Because of the tendency to cause liver problems and to provoke aplastic anemia the drugs were used cautiously and sparingly. Over time it was found that those problems were due to the size of the crystal in the manufacturing process and microsize and now ultramicrosize crystals are available with few of the original side effects.[citation needed]

For severe cases, the current preferred oral agent in the UK,[14] is the more effective terbinafine.[15] Other prescription oral antifungals include itraconazole and fluconazole.[1]

Alternative treatments

Topical oils

Symptomatic relief from itching may be achieved after topical application of tea tree oil, probably due to its involvement in the histamine response;[16] however, the efficacy of tea tree oil in the treatment of athlete's foot (achieving mycological cure) is questionable.[17][18]

Onion extract

A study of the effect of 3% (v/v) aqueous onion extract was shown to be very effective in laboratory conditions against Trichophyton mentagrophytes and T. rubrum.[19]

Garlic extract

Ajoene, a compound found in garlic, is sometimes used to treat athlete's foot.[20]

Rubbing alcohol, hydrogen peroxide and vinegar

Direct application of rubbing alcohol and/or hydrogen peroxide after bathing can aid in killing the fungus at the surface level of the skin and will help prevent a secondary (bacterial) infection from occurring.[citation needed] In addition, soaking the feet in a bath of 70% rubbing alcohol will help dry the skin out, and likewise kill the invading fungus.[citation needed] The alcohol is not, however, effective against spores. Vinegar in some cases has killed the fungus and is effective against spores.

Boric acid

Boric acid application in the socks is used to prevent athlete's foot when recurrent infections occurs, but is not used to treat it.

Hair dryer

Since fungi grow in moist conditions, it is very important to dry the feet well after bathing. A hair dryer can be used to aid the drying process, or to dry feet which have become slightly moist in between showers or baths.[citation needed]

Baking soda

Rubbing feet with a baking soda paste and/or sprinkling baking soda in shoes is thought to help by changing pH.[21]

Household bleach (not recommended)

The use of household bleach as a direct topical application or soak for tinea pedis is not recommended, as it is a well documented irritant (clearly labelled in the United Kingdom as "Harmful" by COSHH)[citation needed]. It is used diluted as an environmental decontaminatant to prevent the spread of dermatophytes between animals, and from animals to humans.

Epsom salts

Some podiatrists recommend soaking the feet in a solution of Epsom salts in warm water.

Urinating

Members of the US Military have used the method of urinating on the infected foot in the shower to get rid of the infection. It has proven non-effective.[citation needed]

Etymology

The Oxford English Dictionary documents written usage of the term in 1928 (1928 Lit. Digest 22 December. 16/1), which seems to undercut the claim by W. F. Young, Inc. that the term "athlete's foot" was originated, rather than simply popularized, as part of an advertising campaign for Absorbine Jr. during the 1930s.[22]

See also

Footnotes

  1. 1.0 1.1 Gupta AK, Skinner AR, Cooper EA (2003). "Interdigital tinea pedis (dermatophytosis simplex and complex) and treatment with ciclopirox 0.77% gel". Int. J. Dermatol. 42 (Suppl 1): 23–7. doi:10.1046/j.1365-4362.42.s1.1.x. PMID 12895184.
  2. Guttman, C (2003). "Secondary bacterial infection always accompanies interdigital tinea pedis". Dermatol Times. 4: S12. doi:10.1046/j.1365-4362.42.s1.1.x. line feed character in |title= at position 37 (help)
  3. 3.0 3.1 3.2 Al Hasan M, Fitzgerald SM, Saoudian M, Krishnaswamy G (2004). "Dermatology for the practicing allergist: Tinea pedis and its complications". Clinical and Molecular Allergy. 2 (1): 5. doi:10.1186/1476-7961-2-5. PMID 15050029.
  4. Hainer BL (2003). "Dermatophyte infections". American family physician. 67 (1): 101–8. PMID 12537173.
  5. Hirschmann JV, Raugi GJ (2000). "Pustular tinea pedis". J. Am. Acad. Dermatol. 42 (1 Pt 1): 132–3. doi:10.1016/S0190-9622(00)90022-7. PMID 10607333.
  6. del Palacio, Amalia. "Trends in the treatment of dermatophytosis" (PDF). Biology of Dermatophytes and other Keratinophilic Fungi: 148–158. Retrieved 2007-10-10. Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (help)
  7. 7.0 7.1 Causes of athlete's foot, at WebMD
  8. "Athlete's foot". Mayo Clinic Health Center.
  9. [1] Risk factors for athlete's foot, at WebMD
  10. Robert Preidt (September 29, 2006). "Athlete's Foot, Toe Fungus a Family Affair" (Reprint at USA Today). HealthDay News. Retrieved 2007-10-10. Researchers used advanced molecular biology techniques to test the members of 57 families and concluded that toenail fungus and athlete's foot can infect people living in the same household. Check date values in: |date= (help)
  11. eMedicine - Tinea Cruris : Article by Michael Wiederkehr
  12. Over-the-Counter Foot Remedies (American Family Physician)
  13. 13.0 13.1 Crawford F, Hollis S (18 July 2007). "Topical treatments for fungal infections of the skin and nails of the foot" (Review). Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews (3): Art. No.: CD001434. doi:10.1002/14651858.CD001434.pub2.
  14. National Library for Health (06/September/07). "What is the best treatment for tinea pedis?". UK [[National Health Service (England)|National Health Media:Service|accessdate=2007]]-09-29. Check date values in: |date= (help)
  15. Bell-Syer SEM, Hart R, Crawford F, Torgerson DJ, Tyrrell W, Russell I. (2002). "Oral treatments for fungal infections of the skin of the foot" (Review). Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. 2: Art. No.: CD003584. doi:10.1002/14651858.CD003584. Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)
  16. Koh KJ, Pearce AL, Marshman G, Finlay-Jones JJ, Hart PH (2002). "Tea tree oil reduces histamine-induced skin inflammation". Br. J. Dermatol. 147 (6): 1212–7. doi:10.1046/j.1365-2133.2002.05034.x. PMID 12452873.
  17. Bedinghaus JM, Niedfeldt MW (2001). "Over-the-counter foot remedies". American family physician. 64 (5): 791–6. PMID 11563570.
  18. Tong MM, Altman PM, Barnetson RS (1992). "Tea tree oil in the treatment of tinea pedis". Australas. J. Dermatol. 33 (3): 145–9. doi:10.1111/j.1440-0960.1992.tb00103.x. PMID 1303075.
  19. Shams M (May 1–4, 2004). "The effect of onion extract on ultrastructure of Trichophyton mentagrophytes and T. rubrum -- Abstract number: 902_p517". 14th European Congress of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases Prague / Czech Republic. European Society of clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases. Retrieved 2007-09-29. and it is very strong
  20. Eliades Ledezma, Katiuska Marcano, Alicia Jorquera, Leonardo De Sousa, Maria Padilla, Mireya Pulgar, Rafael Apitz-Castro (2000-11). "Efficacy of ajoene in the treatment of tinea pedis: A double-blind and comparative study with terbinafine" ([dead link]Scholar search). Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology. 43 (5): 829–832. doi:10.1067/mjd.2000.107243. Check date values in: |date= (help)
  21. The Doctors Book of Home Remedies Athletes Foot
  22. The Story of W. F. Young, Inc. and Absorbine at the Absorbine website.

External links

Template:Mycoses

ar:مرض قدم الرياضي de:Fußpilz id:Kaki atlit it:Piede d'atleta nl:Zwemmerseczeem simple:Athlete's foot su:Leuncangeun fi:Jalkasieni sv:Fotsvamp th:โรคน้ำกัดเท้า zh-yue:香港腳

Template:SIB Template:WH Template:WS