About Palmoplantar Pustulosis Pictures
Palmoplantar pustulosis is a disease caused by fungus called Aspergillus flavus. It affects the toes and feet. If not treated it may lead to death. There are many different types of this fungal infection, but they all have one common feature: They cause redness, swelling or pain in the affected area. Sometimes these symptoms are mild and other times severe and life threatening.
The most common type of palmoplantar pustulosis is known as “Aspergilloma”. This condition occurs when the fungus grows in the skin around the toe nail. Other types include:
Fungal infections such as Aspergillus can affect any part of your body, including your eyes, ears, nose and mouth. But they tend to affect people with weakened immune systems more often than healthy people.
What Are The Symptoms Of Palmoplantar Pustulosis?
In general, the first symptom of palmoplantar pustulosis is usually redness or irritation at the site where the fungus has grown. This is followed by a rash or blisters. These blisters may spread to other parts of your body. Eventually, you may develop a fever and feel tired. In some cases, you may also experience severe pain.
How Is Palmoplantar Pustulosis Diagnosed?
The first step is to see your family doctor. He or she will examine the affected areas of your body and ask you questions about your medical history. Your doctor will then refer you to a dermatologist if he or she suspects that you have palmoplantar pustulosis.
The dermatologist will examine your skin and possibly perform a biopsy. A common way to test for palmoplantar pustulosis is by taking a scraping of skin cells from the affected area and examining it under a microscope.
If you have any open sores, the doctor may also take a swab or culture of these lesions to test for the fungus in question.
How Is Palmoplantar Pustulosis Treated?
Treatment will depend on the type of fungal infection you have. If it is Aspergillus, then the most common treatment is antifungal pills. These can be taken as one large dose or divided into several smaller doses for a few weeks.
In some cases, your doctor may give you an injection of the antifungal medication. This is usually reserved for people who are severely ill or those who don’t respond to the pill form of antifungal medication.
If your infection is caused by a different type of fungus, then your doctor may prescribe antifungal pills designed to treat that particular fungal infection.
If you suffer from a weakened immune system, it’s important to maintain good foot hygiene and always wear shoes in public places like swimming pools or gyms. If your disease is severe, your doctor may also prescribe mild steroids to help reduce the swelling and redness in the infected area.
You should always follow your doctor’s advise concerning medication, because failing to do so can make the condition worse. It’s also important to take all the pills, even if you start to feel better. Fungal infections can become resistant to medication if the user doesn’t complete the course.
What Else Can I Do To Prevent Palmoplantar Pustulosis?
If you think you may have a fungal infection, it’s important to see your family doctor as soon as possible. He or she may refer you to a dermatologist who can perform more tests and determine what kind of treatment is necessary. Fungal infections can be controlled with the right medication and treatment plan. So if you think you have one, don’t suffer in silence.
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Sources & references used in this article:
What do we know about palmoplantar pustulosis? by M Misiak‐Galazka, H Wolska… – Journal of the European …, 2017 – Wiley Online Library
Management of palmoplantar pustulosis: do we need to change? by U Mrowietz, PCM Van de Kerkhof – British Journal of …, 2011 – Wiley Online Library
Interventions for chronic palmoplantar pustulosis by R Chalmers, S Hollis, J Leonardi‐Bee… – Cochrane Database …, 2006 – cochranelibrary.com
A randomized trial of etretinate (Tigason®) in palmoplantar pustulosis by E Foged, P Holm, PØ Larsen, G Laurberg, F Reymann… – Dermatology, 1983 – karger.com
