Clinical Characteristics of Onychomycosis

Onychomycosis Discussion Post
Student Name
Department, University
Course Code: Course Name
Professor’s Name
Due Date
Onychomycosis Discussion Post
According to Bodman and Krishnamurthy (2020), onychomycosis is a nail unit fungal infection. The authors also noted that the condition could be referred to as tinea unguium in the context where dermatophytes cause it. The condition might be contracted via direct exposure to the surface contaminated with scales from infected individuals. Advancing age is the most risk factor for illness. Some of the clinical manifestations of this condition include a yellow nail plate with subungual hyperkeratosis that triggers onycholysis and nail plate discoloration (Gupta et al., 2021). In addition, the disorder can be manifested in immunosuppressed individuals like those infected with the human immunodeficiency virus (Bodman & Krishnamurthy, 2020). Furthermore, it destroys the nail matrix, thus detaching it over a given timescale.
Potassium Hydroxide Testing is a laboratory diagnostic tool that can be applied for this infection. In this regard, it can liquify the keratin to permit the visualization of fungal septate hyphae. Reflectance confocal microscopy is an imaging test that can examine this disease. It permits physicians to observe characteristics of abnorm...