Onychomycosis:Treatment and Recurrence Prevention from the Perspective of Chronic Disease Management
Onychomycosis is a common,recurrent fungal skin disease that can cause discoloration and thickening of the nail plate,which can seriously affect the quality of life of patients.Microscopy and fungal culture are the gold standard techniques for the diagnosis of onychomycosis,but the high false-negative rate drives more accurate methods such as histology and PCR.There are a variety of treatment options available in clinical practice,and oral antifungals have a higher cure rate and shorter treatment time than topical treatments,but have adverse side effects such as hepatotoxicity and drug interactions.Topical treatments have milder side effects,but the cure rate is usually lower and the duration of treatment is much longer.New topical formulations are being investigated as a quick-acting alternative to currently available topical treatments.Devices such as lasers have shown promise in improving the cosmetic appearance of nails,but their effectiveness against onychomycosis has not been fully demonstrated due to the high variability in research methods and treatment definitions.Patients should seek medical attention as soon as possible once infected,and prophylactic topical medications and avoiding walking barefoot in public places may help prevent recurrence.Onychomycosis has unique Chinese epidemiological characteristics,high recurrence rate,and affects the quality of life of patients,suggesting the necessity of its management.This article reviews the definition of chronic disease management,epidemiology,ancillary examinations and treatment progress of onychomycosis in recent years.
万方数据
维普
