Integumentary System Disorder
By: Ariana Lee-Wilson
Background
Stan is a 65 year old man with Diabetes Mellitus. Recently he has noticed that the nails on his toes have a cloudy appearance, with some whiteness and thickening of the nail. The nail also feels very brittle. When he visited his podiatrist, he was told that his condition is caused by a fungal infection.
Diagnosis
After doing some research Stan has a fungal infection called onychomycosis
Etiology
- diabetes
- diseases that cause poor circulation
- over 65 years old
- wearing artificial nails
- Swimming in a public swimming pool
- nail injury
- skin injury around around the nail
- moist fingers and toes for extended
- weakened immune system
- wear closed toes shoes
Symptoms
- scaling under the nail
- white or yellow streaks on the nail
- a crumbling corner or tip of the nail
- flaking white areas on the nail’s surface, which may include pits in the nail
- the appearance of yellow spots at the bottom of the nail
- loss of the nail
Treatments
- terbinafine (Lamisil)~ antifungal antibiotic
- itraconazole (Sporanox)~ antifungal medication
- fluconazole (Diflucan)~ antifungal antibiotic, prevents fungal infections
- griseofulvin (Gris-Peg)~ antfungal
Prognosis
- May take a year
- Nail Fungus will continue to become worse and more difficult to treat the longer it is left to grow and spread
- people have relapses because of diabetes or genetic predisposition
- not fatal
- can be resistant to medication
Impact on lifestyle
- poorer general health
- some pain
- are embarrassed to show feet or hands
More information
- Onychomycosis affects toenails more often than fingernails because of their slower growth, reduced blood supply, and frequent confinement in dark, moist environments
Citations
"Fungal Nail Infection." Healthline. N.p., n.d. Web. 07 Apr. 2016.
"Fungal Nail Infection (Onychomycosis) Causes, Symptoms, Treatment - What Causes a Fungal Nail Infection? - EMedicineHealth."EMedicineHealth. N.p., n.d. Web. 07 Apr. 2016.
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