Inadequate personal cleanliness, wearing closed shoes all day, and increased sweating can all contribute to the development of athlete’s foot, a common fungal infection of the feet. It’s crucial to focus emphasis on proper treatment and sufficient prevention by using affected people as source infections. Although the term relates to athletes, everyone who frequently wears sneakers and has intense sweating on their legs is prone to the problem of athlete’s foot. To protect oneself against athletic feet, one must regularly maintain adequate foot hygiene. If one feels itching or notices changes to one’s feet, one should seek medical attention.
What is Athlete’s foot?
Sports foot, also known as Athlete’s foot, is a common and contagious fungal infection of the feet, epidermis, or foot digits that causes peeling and intense foot itching. It is named as such because it is frequently common with athletes, but regardless of the name, whether you’re an athlete or an ordinary person who frequently wears sneakers and has sweaty legs, you may develop Athlete’s foot.
Disease prevalence in Europe is 20%, with more males than females being affected. 70 percent of adults will experience difficulties with a fungus in their feet (athlete’s foot) at least once in their lifetime. At least 50% of patients have both nail and fungal infections at the same time. Growing risk factors worldwide include the aging population and the obesity trend. Athlete’s foot is also becoming more prevalent.
Foot fungus infection typically develops between the foot digits, but it can also be found on the soles and on the lateral parts of the feet. Even if you take care to keep your feet in good condition, a fungal infection can still spread if you share a bathroom or shower with someone who has one.
Direct skin-to-skin contact, or indirect touch can both spread an infection (contact with contaminated surface, clothing, towels, bedding). While most infections result in fungus on the skin, bacteria can also develop and lead to additional symptoms including unsightly foot odor.
The human body serves as the “host” for a wide variety of bacteria, fungi, and other microorganisms. Some of them are beneficial to the body, while others might spread infection under specific circumstances due to increased reproduction. Epidermophyton floccosum, Trichophyton rubrum sensu strict, and Trichophyton interdigitale are examples of dermatophyte mushrooms that alone can cause illness; however, many other diseases can also play a part. They grow in warm, moist surroundings like clothes, baths, shoes, and socks, thus wearing closed-toed shoes all day and increased sweating can increase the likelihood of developing repeated infections.
It cannot infect the skin if the environment does not support the growth of fungi. Additionally, once treated, these species infections do not provide you lifelong immunity, making them recurrent. The disease is most frequently spread in public places where people go barefoot and where a warm, damp atmosphere is needed for reproduction (as which is, for example, the interior of a shoe). Source of infections are skin flakes that come off infected people and are infectiously fungal in nature.