Onychomycosis (cont.)
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Summary of Common Types of Onychomycosis
Characteristics of Common Types of Onychomycosis (OM)
| Frequency | Most common | Generally uncommon but frequent in AIDS patients | Makes up 10% of cases of OM | |||||||
| Progress of infection | Infection begins with invasion of the space under the nail edge where the nail separates from the nail bed (called the hyponychium) | Infection begins at the nail fold (where the nail meets the finger or toe) and affects newly forming nail | Infection begins at the surface of the nail (nail plate) and progresses to deeper layers | |||||||
| Clinical appearance | Separation of the nail from the nail bed (onycholysis), thickening of the area under the nail (subungual hyperkeratosis) | Subungual hyperkeratosis, white discoloration (leukonychia), separation of the nail from the nail bed (onycholysis), and destruction of the nail unit | White areas on the nail surface, eventually involving the entire nail surface | |||||||
| Most common causative organism | Trichophyton rubrum | Trichophyton rubrum | Trichophyton mentagrophytes, Aspergillus terreus, Acremonium roseogriseum, Fusarium oxysporum | |||||||
| Affected nails | Toenails most commonly affected but may affect fingernails as well | Much more common on the toenails, rarely affects fingernails | Mainly affect toenails The term total dystrophic onychomycosis is not a subtype, but is, instead, the final stage of any of the previously described forms of onychomycosis, candidal onychomycosis, or both. Next: For More Information »
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