What is fungal disease?

Fungi are very tiny, but very diverse. In nature, there are countless fungi that are closely related to our life and work. Some fungi can be eaten by us and become delicious on the table, such as mushrooms and black fungus, but some fungi bring harm to our healthy skin, such as onychomycosis (commonly known as “gray nail”), ringworm, ringworm (commonly known as “sweat spot”), etc. The most terrible Some fungi can also make us lose color, such as ringworm (commonly known as “scalding head”) and sporotrichosis, which occurs on the face, or even endanger our lives. Of the hundreds of thousands of species of fungi, it is estimated that about 270 species can cause disease in humans. In the past, our impression of fungal diseases was only limited to superficial skin diseases. However, in the past half century, with the widespread use of broad-spectrum antibiotics, corticosteroids, immunosuppressants, radiation therapy, and pet ownership, fungal damage to humans and animals began to not only stay on the surface of the skin, but also began to invade the inside of the body, and there are many fungal diseases are human-animal syndromes. According to the different parts of fungal invasion, fungal diseases are divided into two categories: superficial fungal diseases and deep fungal diseases: invasion of the epidermis, hair and nails is called superficial fungal diseases; invasion of subcutaneous tissue and internal organs is called deep fungal diseases. In addition, there are a few fungi, such as Candida, which can involve both skin and internal organs. Although superficial fungal diseases are generally not life-threatening, they often affect the work, study, life and social life of patients. If not actively treated, it can be transmitted to others. Although the incidence of deep fungal disease is small, but it is one of the most harmful and increasing incidence of disease. In the past 10 years or so, deep fungal infections have been on the rise. According to conservative estimates, the number of deep fungal diseases diagnosed in the past 30 years is at least 10 times more than the number of diagnosed cases in the past 100 years, and some undiagnosed cases may be more. A data published by the relevant institutions in the United States showed that the incidence of various fungi was significantly higher from 1980 to 1982 compared with 1992 to 1993. The incidence of deep fungal disease has three major characteristics: widespread, neoplastic, and severe: widespread refers to its full range of sites of incidence, the entire body including the heart, liver, spleen, stomach, brain, etc., deep fungal pervasive. Emergence refers to the continuous reports of new condition-causing fungi worldwide. Severity refers to the viciousness of the disease, such as Candida septicaemia, which has a mortality rate of 50%. Cryptococcal meningitis is even more frightening, with about 86% of patients dying within a year if left untreated. For fungal diseases, people should be alert. The essence of disease prevention is to eat and live regularly, do not smoke, do not drink; to adhere to appropriate physical exercise, enhance physical fitness, improve the immune system. Pets such as domestic pigeons or dogs and cats should be properly managed to prevent contamination. Do not eat rotten and spoiled fruits. Travel, business trips away, or to public places for haircuts and bathing, as far as possible, be careful to use or not to use common towels, slippers, etc. to avoid cross-infection of fungi. Usually take medicine, pay attention not to abuse antibiotics, so as not to cause the body flora imbalance, immunity decline.