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Onychomycosis in patients with chronic leg ulcer and toenail abnormalities()

Nails have a limited number of reactive patterns to disease. Accordingly, toenail changes of different etiologies may mimic onychomycosis. OBJECTIVE: To determine the prevalence of toenail onychomycosis among patients with leg ulcer and toenail abnormalities attending a dermatology clinic. METHODS:...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores principales: Cabete, Joana, Galhardas, Célia, Apetato, Margarida, Lestre, Sara
Formato: Online Artículo Texto
Lenguaje:English
Publicado: Sociedade Brasileira de Dermatologia 2015
Materias:
Acceso en línea:https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4323716/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25672317
http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/abd1806-4841.20152940
Descripción
Sumario:Nails have a limited number of reactive patterns to disease. Accordingly, toenail changes of different etiologies may mimic onychomycosis. OBJECTIVE: To determine the prevalence of toenail onychomycosis among patients with leg ulcer and toenail abnormalities attending a dermatology clinic. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted through the analysis of clinical records and results of mycological examination. RESULTS: A total of 81 patients were included, with a median age of 76.0 years. Most ulcers were of venous etiology, followed by those of mixed and arterial pathogenesis. The mycological evaluation confirmed the diagnosis of onychomycosis in 27.2% of the patients. The etiologic agent was a dermatophyte in 59.1% of isolates in nail samples, while Trichophyton interdigitale was the most frequent fungal species (40.9%). CONCLUSIONS: Most toenail abnormalities in patients with chronic leg ulcer were not onychomycosis. This study highlights the importance of systematic mycological examination in these patients, in order to avoid overtreatment with systemic antifungals, unnecessary costs and side effects.