How to choose antifungal agents for effective treatment of athlete's foot

Mycosis of the feet is one of the most common diseases in the world, prone to recurrent course. It is well known that the treatment of athlete's foot is most effective in the early stages of the disease. At the same time, strict adherence to the scheme for the use of antifungal agents, which should correspond to scientific achievements in the field of evidence-based medicine, is of great importance. Mycosis of the feet, better known as "fungus" - an infectious disease with a primary lesion of the skin of the soles and interdigital folds. Its cause is fungal flora. Mycosis of the feet is a very contagious disease – infection often occurs when visiting shared shower rooms, baths, swimming pools.

Treatment of foot mycosis – basic principles of modern therapy

Symptoms of foot mycosis are varied: from dryness and flaking of the skin to deep lesions of all its layers, which depends both on the type of pathogen and on the person's premorbid background.

But regardless of of these factors, there is a rule: the sooner you start therapy for mycosis of the feet – the higher its effectiveness.  External antifungal agents: basic principles of therapy
•    Ointment, cream, spray in the treatment of mycosis – what to choose
•    Systemic antifungals: principles of use•     External antifungals: basic principles of therapy

Antifungal agents are available in both topical (cream, ointment, spray) and internal (tablets, capsules) forms. The choice of the form of the drug or their combination depends on the location and stage of
foot mycosis
.

Indications for the appointment of external antifungal agents:

1.    Localization of the lesion: skin of the sole and interdigital folds.

2.    Anamnesis of the disease does not exceed 3 months.

3.    The patient has not previously used other antifungal agents.

Classification of active ingredients of preparations for external use according to their chemical component:1.    Azoles: clotrimazole;2.    Allylamines: terbinafine;

3.     Others: chlornitrophenol;

Multiplicity of application of the antifungal agent: 2-3 times a day according to the instructions for use. The duration of mycosis treatment in each case is determined by the doctor individually, but, as a rule, it is at least 4 weeks.
Ointment, cream, spray in the treatment of mycosis – what to choose

When choosing the form of release of the drug (cream, ointment, spray), it must be taken into account that the ointment, having a large amount of fat in its composition, has the highest degree of penetration. Apply it in a thin layer on dry and flaky skin. The basis of the cream is a permeable substance, which makes it most suitable for application to weeping areas, for example, with the dyshidrotic form of mycosis of the feet. As for the spray, its use is advisable only in the early stages of the development of foot mycosis, since the spray does not have deep permeability.

2.    Duration of disease more than 3 months;

Classification of active ingredients of preparations for internal use according to their chemical component:

1.    Azoles: imidazole performance.

2.    Allylamines: terbinafine.

Despite a large number of studies, there is no evidence in favor of choosing one or another group of systemic antifungal agents, but some of their features should still be taken into account:1.    Preparations of the azole group have a fungistatic effect, while allylamines – fungicidal.
2.    Azoles have a greater bioavailability than allylamines, but this leads to liver damage much more often.

3.    Azoles exist only in oral forms, while allylamines exist in a form for external and systemic use.

Frequency of use of drugs – Once a day, the duration of treatment for mycosis averages from 2 to 6 weeks, depending on the severity of the disease. The drug should be taken at the same time of the day, while the lack of compliance (omissions, untimely intake, spontaneous completion of mycosis treatment) can lead to the development of resistant fungal flora, the therapy of which will require considerable effort.