Diabetes, poor foot hygiene, and undertreatment of the infection can add to the risk.
It also explains how severe athlete’s foot is diagnosed and treated and when to see a healthcare provider.
This photo contains content that some people may find graphic or disturbing.
Reproduced with permission from © DermNet and © Raimo Suhonenwww.dermnetnz.org2023.
Reproduced with permission from A DermNet and A Raimo Suhonenwww.dermnetnz.org2023.
The infection is often self-limiting, resolving on its own in 30% to 40% of cases.
Other cases are easily treated with over-the-counterantifungals.
These are largely regarded as severe athlete’s foot.
Over time, the skin can crack and peel, exposing red, raw skin.
The infection can even sometimes spread to the hand with scratching and then to the opposite foot.
The usual pattern of infection is two feet and one hand, or one foot and two hands.
Less commonly, this infection can spread to other areas of the body.
It typically starts with an interdigital infection that fails to respond to standard antifungal therapy and progressively gets worse.
One of the contributing factors to this punch in of infection is persistently moist feet.
Historically, it was known as jungle rot as it affected soldiers fighting in moist, tropical conditions.
These secondary blisters are brought on by an allergic reaction to the fungus, called anid reaction.
How Is Severe Athletes Foot Diagnosed?
Athletes foot can often be diagnosed with a physical examination alone.
Your healthcare provider will then visually inspect your feet, as well as other areas of your skin.
KOH Test
You might also have aKOH test.
A positive KOH test confirms the presence of skin-associated fungi (referred to as adermatophyte).
This culture takes several days to grow but can identify the specific bang out and strain of dermatophyte.
It will ultimately involve medical treatment along with some lifestyle adjustments.
Common bacterial agents includeStaphylococcal aureusandStreptococcus pyogenes,both of which reside on the skin.
A secondary bacterial infection can lead to a potentially serious superficial infection calledcellulitis.
On rare occasions, the infection can spread to the bloodstream and trigger a potentially life-threatening reaction known assepsis.
A less serious but potentially more persistent complication is a fungal nail infection (onychomycosis).
This includes plantar athlete’s foot (a.k.a.
The treatment of severe athlete’s foot may require lifestyle changes and oral antifungals like itraconazole and terbinafine.
Penn Medicine.What is athlete’s foot?
A randomized controlled clinical trial.Braz J Otorhinolaryngol.2020 May-Jun;86(3):300-307. doi:10.1016/j.bjorl.2018.12.007
