A review on treatment of onychomycosis

Abstract

Treatment of onychomycosis is a difficult task which requires deep knowledge
about these mycoses, the interpretation of mycologic studies results, the antifungal
drugs used, their side effects and their interactions with other treatments. For these
reasons they have been considered as very difficult to treat and their treatments as
being very long and toxic. These considerations are not completely truthful. Several
aspects of medical interest about these fungal infections, including their etiologic
agents, risk factors that increase their prevalence, pathogenesis, the most important
clinical data to be taken into account before prescribing treatments and their efficacy,
side effects and drug interactions of the different antifungal medications used in
onychomycosis are presented in this review. The aim of it is to serve as a guide for
clinicians and dermatologists in the study and treatment of onychomycosis. The
combined treatments, which have improved the clinical and mycological results
of medication in these fungal infections, are also revised. Finally we recognized
that, although onychomycosis are not impossible to treat, except a few cases,
the available treatments are not ideal, so this subject is open for new clinical and
pharmacologic research.