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Topics |
Fungal nail infections |
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A lot of patients are coming along for treatment of
fungal infection in their nails, usually big toe nails.
Many chiropodists are diagnosing this condition, and advising patients to see their doctor for treatment. In addition, there are advertisements in newspapers and magazines for free foot-care booklets. These booklets describe what fungal infection in nails looks like and explains that treatment is available. Here are some facts you should know before consulting us Fungal nail infections are very common, especially with increasing age. It can affect all nails but usually toenails, often the big toenail first. It is usually just a cosmetic problem. Fungal nail infections spread very slowly from nail to nail, if at all. It hardly ever does any harm, and if it does, it is never serious. It hardly ever becomes painful. The only treatment that really works is a drug (terbinafine, trade name Lamisil) that has to be taken every day for 6 months (if it is for a bigtoe nail). It can cause liver damage occasionally (reversible), and often needs a blood test to make sure the liver is not already damaged before starting treatment. Nail clippings have also to be sent to the laboratory to confirm fungal infection before any treatment is given A full course of drug treatment costs the NHS about £300. Even when it has been cured it will frequently come back a year or so later. The publicity encouraging people to diagnose fungal nail infections and seek treatment is produced by the company selling the drug. Doctors feel it is a bad idea to treat a cosmetic problem with an occasionally harmful drug. If you have a fungal nail infection causing pain, you should consult us. If it is not causing a problem we suggest you leave it alone. |
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