In the history of social development, human beings have always been faced with threats to health from various pathogenic microorganisms. Even in the long process of fighting against diseases, medical scientists have found effective treatment methods such as antibacterial drugs and antiviral drugs, but up to now, pathogenic microorganisms such as bacteria, viruses, and fungi are still important to human health. threaten.
Fungi are very common in the living environment of human beings, and there are many kinds. People have been using fungi to make food a long time ago, and they are also used in agriculture, diet, health and other sectors for production and treatment of diseases. But there are also many fungi that do great harm to animals, plants and humans. They not only cause infectious diseases, but also cause human poisoning. Diabetics may be able to withstand bacterial and viral attacks, but sometimes they are overwhelmed by fungal infections.
Fungi are divided into pathogenic fungi and opportunistic fungi. The so-called opportunistic pathogenic fungi means that when the immune normal people are infected with this species, due to the strong resistance of the body, the immune system can suppress the fungal infection, so the body will not feel discomfort or disease, and the human body can coexist peacefully with the fungus. However, when the body's resistance is decreased for some reason and the immune system or immune function is damaged, the body cannot effectively control the spread of fungi, and fungal infectious diseases will appear. Among these pathogenic fungi, there is one fungus that particularly favors people with diabetes.
How fungi can harm the human body
When it comes to fungi, you may think of fungus, mushrooms or yeast and other ingredients, but in fact fungi are much more than that. Fungi is actually a big family. In addition to edible fungi and fungi for industrial purposes, some are pathogenic fungi. So far, more than 400 species of fungi related to diseases have been found.
The pathogenic mechanisms of fungi can be roughly divided into three categories.
One is fungal allergy, which refers to the allergic reaction that occurs after fungal spores and hyphae enter the body through various ways. These fungal spores are mostly scattered in the air and often enter the human body through the respiratory tract. Therefore, people with allergic diseases such as asthma, allergic rhinitis, and allergic dermatitis are more prone to fungal allergy. Fungal allergy may also be triggered in an environment with a large number of fungal spores.
The second is mycotoxicosis, which refers to a poisoning reaction caused by ingesting mycotoxins in foods that have been spoiled or deteriorated due to mold growth. Raw materials, or the food that has been prepared for a long time becomes moldy and deteriorated by accidental ingestion, and some are contaminated by toxic fungi or misuse of toxic fungus when making fermented food. Among them, the most common is aflatoxin poisoning. The pathogenic bacteria are mostly Aspergillus flavus, and some other Aspergillus and Penicillium contain aflatoxin. These fungi are mainly parasitic on peanuts, corn, rice, wheat and other grains and oil crops. Acute poisoning can cause liver and kidney damage, resulting in symptoms such as low appetite and jaundice. Long-term consumption of food containing a small amount of Aspergillus flavus may cause chronic poisoning, which can cause liver cancer, kidney cancer and other diseases.
The third is fungal infection, commonly known as "fungal infection". The fungus grows and proliferates in the body, disrupting the normal function of the immune system and causing local infection symptoms. These diseases are clinically divided into superficial fungal infections and deep fungal infections according to different parts of the human body. Superficial infection only affects the skin, hair and nails, while deep infection can invade deep human tissues and internal organs, and even cause systemic disseminated infection. Such as deep fungal infection of the intestine is manifested as fungal enteritis, which can exist independently, such as Candida enteritis infantis, or one of the manifestations of systemic fungal infection, such as AIDS complicated with disseminated histoplasmosis.
Fungi most likely to find diabetics
Among these ubiquitous fungi, there is a type of fungus that especially likes to invade the body of diabetic patients - Mucor.
Grandpa Tang has been suffering from diabetes for many years. In recent years, his blood sugar control has not been ideal, and he also has heart disease. During a hospitalization to control blood sugar, Grandpa Tang found a red, swollen and painful plaque at the infusion port of the intravenous injection. The erythema was not obvious at first, but after two or three days, the disease progressed rapidly, not only the erythema on the skin increased significantly , and some necrotic tissue appeared. Experts took the black scab on Grandpa Tang's skin for fungal microscopic examination and found that it was a mucormycosis infection, so he hurriedly performed debridement surgery on him, followed by antifungal drug treatment, and Grandpa Tang was discharged after one month.
Mucor, you may be unfamiliar with the name, but we have all seen it. Experts tell us that a layer of moldy fluff grows on top of spoiled peaches, most of which are mucor mold. Why does mucor mold grow easily on fruits and diabetics? It turns out that Mucor is a mold that likes high-sugar environments.
If the blood sugar control of diabetic patients is poor, on the one hand, the resistance of the skin and mucous membranes will be reduced, and it is easy to combine bacterial infection and fungal infection; Growth and reproduction provide a good environmental foundation and become an excellent medium for fungi. Therefore, fungal infections such as mucormycosis are particularly prone to occur in diabetic patients, especially in the case of local skin damage, the fungi often enter and cause infection.
Mucor under the microscope
There is also a deadly danger behind the seemingly beautiful fungus Mucor. According to the different parts of the human body that the fungus invades, it can be divided into superficial infection and deep infection. Superficial Mucor infection refers to diseases caused by Mucor only invading keratinized tissues, such as stratum corneum, hair and nails, mainly dermatophytes, such as onychomycosis, beriberi, etc.; deep Mucor infection refers to involving the deep layers of the skin , Mucor infection of subcutaneous or visceral organs can also spread to various parts of the body skin through blood, and generally occurs in people with severely compromised immunity, such as people after organ transplantation, and tumor patients who are prone to deep infection after radiotherapy and chemotherapy. Mucor infection.
In contrast, superficial Mucormycosis infection is more common, and its incidence can reach 25%, that is, at least 1 in every 4 Mucormycosis infections will have superficial Mucormycosis. The rate of superficial Mucormycosis infection in diabetics is even higher. Generally speaking, superficial mucormycosis infections are mostly skin symptoms.
Most of the symptoms of skin mucormycosis can be perceived or noticed by people only when it affects people's lives, or when there is obvious discomfort. If there is no obvious pain or itching, the diseases on the skin are easily ignored by most people. . Especially in diabetic patients, if combined with nerve lesions, their skin will feel duller than ordinary people, and infectious skin problems will be discovered later, and the disease will often be more serious when they are discovered.
Difference Between Diabetic Foot and Fungal Infection
Diabetics should pay special attention to the occurrence of fungal infections. In addition to the sugar-loving fungus Mucor, another type of fungus most commonly seen in life, dermatophytes, cannot be ignored.
If there is a dermatophyte infection on the foot, once the treatment is not timely, secondary bacterial infection is likely to cause serious consequences such as erysipelas and sepsis. And this is a serious blow for diabetic patients.
Dermatophytes under the microscope
Foot fungal infection is one of the causes of diabetic foot, but the foot lesions caused by fungal infection and simple diabetic foot lesions are different in appearance. Experts told us that the main manifestations of diabetic foot are ulceration, necrosis, and blackening, while foot fungal infection is common with superficial fungal infection, often manifested as erythema, scales, blisters, and keratinization.
If diabetic patients want to prevent foot fungal infection, they should try their best to do the following 3 points: First, they should take strict medication under the guidance of a doctor, and hypoglycemic drugs must not be taken intermittently. , such as wearing soft-soled shoes, loose socks, changing insoles frequently, washing feet frequently, etc.; thirdly, it is necessary to frequently check whether the skin of the feet is damaged.
In addition to the feet, the scalp, torso, crevices, toes, groin, fingers and other parts are also common "housing places" for fungi, and fungal infections may also occur in these parts. The reason why the foot seam is prone to fungal infection is because the fungus likes a warm and humid environment, and the foot seam is wrapped in shoes and socks for a long time, which is more prone to sweating. It is a humid and airtight environment, so it is most likely to be infected by fungi.
【Expert Tips】It is not possible to judge the occurrence of fungal infection by itching or not. Skin diseases that occur on the feet include superficial fungal infections, pruritic skin diseases such as eczema and neurodermatitis. If you have skin problems, you must go to the hospital dermatologist for an examination, early diagnosis and early treatment. Diabetics should check their vulnerable areas such as the crevices of their feet more often to rule out risks.
fungal infections are preventable
The air is more or less filled with fungal spores, and some corners of the home are even more breeding grounds for fungi. Where does the fungus easily hide? How can we prevent fungal infections?
According to the growth and reproduction conditions of fungi, it is easy to grow in warm and humid places. Therefore, these major sanitary corners in the home can easily become "fungal nests": wet corners in the bathroom, soil for potted plants on the balcony, and no ventilation in the cabinets. place, where pets often move, moldy food in the refrigerator, etc.
It should be noted that if there are hoarded waste clothes, newspapers and books in the home, it will also become a breeding ground for fungi. Many elderly people have the habit of collecting waste items at home, and even collect various waste cartons and cardboard shells for recycling after accumulation. This is a performance of diligence, but it brings great health risks. If these waste paper products are kept in an environment with poor ventilation and no sunlight for a long time, it is easy to grow fungi. If they are turned over, the fungal spores may spread into the air, which will greatly increase the risk of respiratory tract inflammation in the elderly after inhalation. If the hoarding habit cannot be changed for a while, the space for storing waste items should also be isolated from the living and living space, such as storing waste items in warehouses, infrequently visited rooms, or open balconies. At the same time, items that are no longer needed should be cleaned regularly, such as increasing the frequency of selling waste items; old newspapers, books and other items with retained value should also be regularly dusted, ventilated, and dried to keep them in good condition. Reduce the damage of fungal growth to the human body.
In order to prevent fungal infection, on the one hand, we need to keep our living space clean and tidy, and we should pay particular attention to keeping the above-mentioned places where fungi grow easily dry and hygienic; on the other hand, we must strengthen our immunity and keep our body The integrity of the barrier, so that even if there are some fungi around, it can coexist peacefully with us. For the elderly, there are four main ways to improve immunity: (1) adequate nutrition; (2) adequate exercise; (3) good interpersonal relationships and social adaptation; (4) good chronic disease control. In order to avoid fungal infections in diabetic patients, in addition to the above, the key is to control blood sugar and avoid skin ulcers.
%20(451).jpeg)
%20(451).jpeg)