Fungal Infection

Fungal infections are spreading at an alarming risk in India. These infections are widespread in the developing countries, especially in the tropical and subtropical countries like India, where the temperature of the environment and relative humidity are high.

Other aggravating factors are:

• • Increased urbanization including the use of occlusive footwear and tight clothes.
  • Poor hygienic conditions.
  • Livestock contact.
  • Previous family history.
  • Immunocompromised status.

Fungal infections are an inflammatory response to the fungus. Most of these infections are superficial. They can be further divided into:

• Superficial infection of the skin: where they present as red scaly patches associated with itching mainly on body folds like axillae, groins.
• Onychomycosis (infection of the toenail): mostly seen in people wearing occlusive footwear, getting frequent manicures and pedicures.
• Yeast infections: most common sites are the genital areas and oral cavity.

Treatment with topical and oral antifungals will result in remission, but there is an increasing resistance to treatment due to over the counter and unsupervised use of medicines.