New study confirms fungal infection of the foot is a risk factor for bacterial tissue infection of the leg
Bacterial cellulitis of the leg strongly associated with onychomycosis and tinea pedis
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Bacterial cellulitis of the leg strongly associated with onychomycosis and tinea pedis
Basle, 1 July 2002 - The results of a just completed multicentre case-control study show that toenail onychomycosis (fungal nail infection) and tinea pedis (athlete's foot) are significant risk factors for developing bacterial cellulitis of the leg, a potentially serious infection of the skin and surrounding soft tissues. The study confirms the clinical observation of a connection between fungal foot infections and bacterial cellulitis. Onychomycosis and tinea pedis can result in breaks in the skin, which constitute a portal of entry for the causative pathogens of bacterial cellulitis of the leg. These results were presented yesterday at an opening symposium of the 20th World Congress of Dermatology in Paris.
"The study findings provide epidemiological evidence that patients with foot dermatomycoses- widespread fungal infections that occur in healthy populations -- can be at greater risk for bacterial cellulitis of the leg, a serious infection that requires urgent treatment, close monitoring, and often hospitalization," said Professor Jean-Claude Roujeau of the Hôpital Henri Mondor in Creteil, France, who presented the study results at the Novartis satellite symposium. "These results underscore the potential risks of mycotic foot infections and the need for physicians to actively identify and cure these infections."
The study found that bacterial cellulitis of the leg was significantly associated with positive fungal cultures for onychomycosis and tinea pedis (p<0.001). Overall, positive cultures for either or both fungal infections, collectively known as foot dermatomycosis, were obtained from 42.5% of bacterial cellulitis patients and 24.1% from control patients without bacterial cellulitis.
Onychomycosis in particular was found in 32.2% of patients with bacterial cellulitis and in 18.4% of controls, meaning that onychomycosis is almost twice as likely to be found in a patient with bacterial cellulitis than in an individual without cellulitis.1
The prevalance of tinea pedis interdigitalis, one specific type of athlete's foot, was also higher in patients with bacterial cellulitis of the leg than in controls ( 29.6% and 13.3% respectively).
This case-control study recruited 243 cases of patients with bacterial cellulitis of the leg and 467 controls (patients who were admitted to the hospital with an acute condition not related to a fungal skin infection). Patients were enrolled during the period March through December 2001 at a total of 30 centres in four countries: Austria, France, Germany, and Iceland.
"These study results show the clear documentation of the relationship between onychomycosis, tinea pedis, and bacterial cellulitis," said Thomas Ebeling, CEO of Novartis Pharma. "We believe these findings will provide an additional important reason for physicians to identify and cure fungal infections of the foot, thereby eliminating these specific risk factors for bacterial cellulitis of the leg."
Lamisil® Tablets are a prescription medication for the treatment of fungal nail infection (onychomycosis) and fungal skin infections. Lamisil is produced and marketed by Novartis Pharma AG and is a treatment of choice for the cure of fungal nail infection. It is a very effective antifungal agent that provides high cure rates and low relapse rates, with a short duration of treatment in fungal nail infection.
Bacterial cellulitis is an infection of the skin and surrounding soft tissues. 2 It occurs when bacteria, enter through a breach in the skin. Seemingly benign at the outset, the initial primary symptom is inflammation of the skin and underlying tissues, as indicated by pain, swelling, redness, warmth and possibly fever. However bacterial cellulitis can spread uncontrolled into deeper tissues or through the lymphatic or circulatory systems.2 Untreated, it can lead to serious complications such as necrotizing fasciitis (severe involvement of the deep tissues, leading to cell death) or deep vein thrombosis (blood clots in the veins). In such cases, the condition can become life threatening.
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