NAIL FUNGUS: WHO GETS IT AND CAUSES
Who gets nail fungus?
Nail fungus is common, and anyone can have it. Some individuals, nevertheless, are at higher risk of getting a fungal nail infection than others. Your health, age, and even lifestyle can increase the risk of you getting it.
Age: The risk of getting a fungal nail infection increases with age. It is more common in older people than in children.
Before a child gets to the age of six, the child’s chances of developing a fungal nail infection are scarce.
Climate: People living in humid, hot climate have an increased risk of getting infected with a fungal nail.
FREQUENT NAIL INFECTIONS SUGGEST THE PRESENCE OF UNTREATED ATHLETE’S FOOT.
Health: If you have some of the following health conditions, you have a higher risk of getting fungal nail infection:
- Diabetes
- Poor blood circulation
- Had an infection on your nail
- Cancer and undergoing chemotherapy
- Recently had nail surgery or injured a nail
- Getting nail infections is frequent in your family
- Psoriasis
- Having a weakened immune system resulting from a disease like HIV (human immunodeficiency syndrome)
- Have had an oral transplant
- Athlete’s foot (a skin infection which is as a result of fungus)
Lifestyle: The risk of you developing a fungal nail infection becomes higher if you:
- Smoke
- Have wet hands or feet most of the time
- Put on closed-toe, tight-fitting shoes, especially when your feet are sweaty
- Stay in the water for extended periods
- Put on plastic gloves for several hours daily
- Walk barefooted in a humid, hot place like a locker room, public shower, or pool
What Results In Nail Fungus?
Microscopic, tiny organisms known as fungi (the plural form of fungus) results in a fungal nail infection.
Several individuals get infected with fungi the moment they have skin-to-skin contact with a person who has a fungal infection like ringworm or athlete’s foot.
One other common way one can get a fungal nail infection is when you walk barefooted in a moist, warm place such as a locker room or pool deck because these fungi live in damp, warm places.
One can also get infected with nail fungi when you share a towel or nail clipper with an infected person.
But you do not need to contract it from an individual. You can also get it if there’s constant moisture on your nails or you wear sweaty shoes or socks.
The fungus usually infects the nail by going into a:
- A crack in your nail
- Minor cut in the skin which surrounds your nail
- The region beneath a nail gives fungi a moist and warm area to grow. This infection can spread to other nails and even your skin.