Epidemiology of nail infection due to keratinophilic fungi

Mycosis of the skin, also called dermatomycosis, affects a large part of the world’s population and they had a considerable influence on health in Europe until the middle of the 20 century. Many of these infections occur as hyperendemic diseases capable of producing epidemic outbreaks in susceptible populations, especially in children and teenagers [2]. These infections now mainly affect less-developed countries, and the lower social classes of industrial cities, where there are conditions of poor hygiene and a lack of health care; in this rather large proportion of the world’s population, for example, there is still a hyperendemia of tinea capitis in prepubertal children. Infections of the nails are also included in this group of skin mycosis, in spite of the fact that they are usually considered superficial infections; the fungal invasion does in fact frequently cause a hyperkeratosis reaction and a greater or lesser degree of destruction to the external layers or other structures. Infections of the nails caused by fungi have not been extensively studied. This is partly because traditionally they have been considered more a cosmetic problem than a health problem [3], and therefore of only minor importance. As dermatomycosis are not diseases requiring declaration, just like other types of mycosis, little is known of their incidence and prevalence in the world’s population. As will be seen here, most of the available data proceeds from partial clinical or mycological studies carried out in very specific areas. Sometimes even in an extremely limited population. If the frequency and distribution of dermatomycosis in the general population is Epidemiology of nail infection due to keratinophilic fungi