Fungal mycosis refers to malignant diseases of the lymphoid-reticular system. Experts define it as T-cell lymphoma, which has several varieties. Fungal mycosis is one of its rarest species. According to statistics, fungal mycosis is recorded in one person out of 345 thousand.
The content of the article:
Symptoms of fungal mycosis
Diagnosis of fungal mycosis
Treatment of fungal mycosis
Prognosis for fungal mycosis
Fungal mycosis
This disease occurs in several stages: erythematous, plaque, tumor. With the first of them, it is quite difficult to identify the disease, since its clinical picture is in many ways similar to the symptoms of eczema and psoriasis. Skin tissues may change, but these changes do not manifest themselves in any external manifestations, which means that fungal mycosis can easily be mistaken for other diseases, and the disease is difficult to diagnose. Only an immunohistochemical study can help detect mycosis. Such an analysis should be carried out in a short time, because early treatment is able to localize the occurrence of skin formations and give a positive effect.
Fungal mycosis is more common in people aged 40-60 years. Both women and men are susceptible to the disease, but mycosis is observed more often in the latter. The cause of fungal mycosis may be the behavior of T-lymphocytes, which not only multiply, but also begin to transform, affecting the reaction of cellular immunity.
Metamorphoses at the very beginning of the process affect only the skin, but in the later stages, internal organs and the lymphatic system are affected.
Currently, medicine cannot accurately identify the causes that trigger the mechanism of fungal mycosis. Some researchers suggest that heredity factors are involved here. According to other scientists, the cause may be a viral infection in a chronic form. In some cases, viral elements similar to retroviruses of category C. Genetic factors expressed in chromosomal pathologies should not be underestimated.
Symptoms of fungal mycosis
With fungal mycosis of the skin, erythematous, plaque and tumor stages are distinguished. The first stage, called erythematous, is characterized by the appearance of bright spots on the epidermis. Spots can have pink, yellow, red, bluish colors. The size of the spots can also be different: sometimes they are only 2 mm in diameter, and sometimes they can reach up to 20 cm. The surfaces of the spots in the erythematous stage may be wet, but there are also signs of peeling. Rash elements are observed on almost any part of the body, including the elbow and knee bends.
Another symptom of fungal mycosis is severe itching in places where elements of rashes subsequently begin to form. Only in some cases this feature is missing.
A rash with fungal mycosis in its external manifestations looks the same as any other with other skin diseases. Based on this, some researchers claim that the erythematous stage is a pathology of the skin, and subsequently it turns into a fungal mycosis.
The change of the erythematous stage by the plaque stage takes a different time period in specific cases: from two months to several years. The plaque stage is characterized by the transformation of spots into plaques, they acquire density and rise somewhat, changing their level above the surface of the skin. At the same time, the itching increases significantly, the color of the spot itself changes, it acquires a dark red hue.
After a while, such a flat plaque begins to change, falling off in the center. As a result, a kind of ring with a depressed center is formed. Flat plaques often combine to create arc shapes on the skin.
The tumor stage in symptoms is characterized by the transformation of epidermal elements into lesions of a tumor type. Plaques increase significantly in size, becoming the size of a human fist, acquiring yellow- or blue-red shades. Such formations then spontaneously open up, turning into ulcers with dead skin tissues and a bloody-purulent mass. At this stage, the patient feels unwell, refuses to eat and loses weight. The tumor stage is dangerous because during this period the internal organs begin to be affected. These lesions lead to the formation of formations very similar to epidermal ones.
Another important symptom of the course of all three stages of the disease is an increase in lymph nodes. Most often, this pattern is observed on the hips and in the groin area. Most patients also note other disorders of the body’s activity: hair and nails become brittle, sweating increases.
There are varieties of fungal mycosis, while their symptoms may have corresponding differences. For example, with decapitated fungal mycosis, tumors immediately appear on the skin in various parts of the body, limbs and head. Erythematous and plaque stages are absent in this case.
For such a type of mycosis as Gallopo-Benye, redness of skin areas, puffiness and peeling of the skin are characteristic. With this type of fungal mycosis, a person’s temperature rises, he feels a sharp deterioration in health.
Diagnosis of fungal mycosis
It was revealed that lymphocytes, leukocytes, eosinophils increase at the first manifestations of the disease. When the disease reaches the tumor stage, lymphocytes and leukocytes, on the contrary, begin to decrease. Therefore, the diagnosis of fungal mycosis involves carrying out immunological tests and studies.
The doctor, starting the diagnosis, necessarily conducts ultrasound of skin formations and prescribes dermatoscopy. This is necessary for a detailed study of the skin elements. During the histological examination, where a sample of the epidermis is studied, an excessive amount of fluid in the tissues and an increase in skin thickness are detected already at the initial stage. The connection between the cells is lost, there is an increase in fibroblasts and lymphocytes, and the interstitial processes begin to lengthen. These signs are characteristic of the process of the erythematous stage. At the next stage, the study is able to detect concentrations of cells and lymphocytes of the nest type, and the skin continues to thicken. At the tumor stage, diagnosis involves an X-ray of the chest and an ultrasound of the abdominal cavity.
Treatment of fungal mycosis
A patient who has fungal mycosis should receive hormonal and cytostatic treatment. In the first case, steroid hormones are used, in the second — drugs that prevent cell division (this is necessary for the treatment of malignant tumors). Antibiotics aimed at suppressing tumors are also indicated for use.
In addition to medical treatment, courses of procedures are used: X-ray irradiation, phototherapy, physiotherapy.
It is recommended to neutralize the manifestation of itching with ointments containing steroids.
Prognosis for fungal mycosis
Specialists find it difficult to make predictions for this disease. Fungal mycosis can be different, and its course depends on the severity of the manifested form, so the disease can sometimes last up to 12 years.
A late visit to a doctor is fraught with death due to the occurrence of malignant tumors. However, if the patient turned to specialists at the first two stages of the disease, then treatment can help prolong life.
