Athlete’s Foot

Definition
· Athlete’s Foot is a fungal skin infection of the feet.

Overview
· Athlete’s Foot most often occurs as painless scaling of the skin of the feet, especially between the toes.
· Athlete’s Foot occasionally progresses to moderate inflammation and cracking of the skin.
· Athlete’s Foot is an important risk factor for developing bacterial infections of the legs.

Symptoms
· scaling of the skin of the feet
· cracking of the skin and fissures between the toes
· burning
· itch
· stinging
· may involve the heel and sole of the feet

Complications
· bacterial infection of the feet and legs

Treatment
· topical antifungal agents

References
Crawford F. Athlete’s foot. Clin Evid. 2005 Dec;(14):2000-5. [PMID: 16620478]

Posted on September 24, 2008

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