Epidemiology
5% of onychomycotic infections are due to mixed infections (1)
Exotic fungal species may result after foreign travel, and normally non-pathogenic organisms may be found causing disease in immuno-compromised patients.
Onychomycosis accounts for approximately 50% of reported nail disorders:
- population-based prevalence of onychomycosis as 4.3% in Europe and North America and found it was more prevalent in men in North America and Europe and in women in South America (2)
- onychomycosis is more common in toenails than in fingernails - toenail infections to be 10 times more common than fingernail infections
- evidence suggests infection was most commonly caused by the dermatophyte fungal organism Trichophyton rubrum (44.9%), followed by yeasts (21.2%), other dermatophytes (20.1%), and moulds (13.3%) (2)
Reference:
- Youssef AB et al. Onychomycosis: Which fungal species are involved? Experience of the Laboratory of Parasitology-Mycology of the Rabta Hospital of Tunis. J Mycol Med. 2018 Dec;28(4):651-654
- (2) Foley K et al. Topical and device-based treatments for fungal infections of the toenails. Cochrane Systematic Review. 16 January 2020
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