Athletes foot is caused by a fungal infection of the foot skin. Excessive sweating is one of the major causes that contribute to Athlete's Foot. The majority of these infections are the results of one of three fungal agents called "dermatophytes". Athlete's foot is by far known as the most common fungal infection of the skin. The infection can be either acute or chronic. The recurrent form of the disease is often associated with fungal-infected toenails. The acute form of the infection will present with moist, scaling between the toes with occasional small blisters and/or fissures. As the blistering breaks, the infection spreads and can affect large areas of the foot skin. The itching and burning that accompany the blisters may lead to great discomfort that can be relieved by opening and draining the blisters or applying cool water compresses. The infection can also occur as isolated circular lesions on the top or bottom of the foot. With the skin breaks down as a result of fungal infection, a secondary bacterial infection can ensue.Diagnosis
The diagnosis of tenia pedis is made based upon the clinical presentation. A definitive diagnosis is made by taking a scraping of the skin and culturing it. It may take up to 3 weeks for the culture to grow the fungus. In some conditions the culture may present a false negative result because the skin scraping was insufficient. Some doctors may perform a KOH prep of a skin scraping. This is examined under a microscope and may reveal elements that can make the diagnosis.
Treatment
Treatment should be directed at controlling the fungal infection and treating any secondary bacterial infection with oral antibiotics. Soaking the feet in Epsom salts and warm water is helpful. Wearing sandals to reduce moisture and heat generated by closed shoes will also help in the control and spread of the infection. Other conditions that mimic acute athletes foot are contact dermatitis and pustular psoriasis.
The chronic form of athletes foot is a relatively noninflamatory type of infection. It is characterized by a dull redness to the skin and pronounced scaling. It may appear in the entire bottom of the foot giving a "moccasin" appearance. It generally does not itch or result in forming blisters. This form of the disease usually has an associated fungal infection of the toenails. There are good topical and oral medications available for the treatment of this condition.
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