Athlete's Foot: A Common Fungal Infection in Athletes and Beyond. The Use of Terbinafine in Treating Tinea Pedis and Onychomycosis

Abstract

Introduction: Tinea pedis is one of the most common skin conditions that often affects athletes, which is referred to by another name for the condition - Athlete's foot.  It is a fungal infection that manifests itself with symptoms such as itching, redness, exfoliating skin and cracking of the epidermis. The foot skin infection can spread to the nails, so in this review we will discuss both conditions. Terbinafine is an allylamine derivative with antifungal activity. It can be applied both superficially and orally. It is used to treat fungal infections, including tinea pedis and onychomycosis.

Aim of the study: The aim of this publication is to review the available literature to answer the question of whether terbinafine is an effective treatment for athlete's foot and onychomycosis.

Methods: Review of specialised literature in the field of dermatology and PubMed and Google Scholar databases by searching with keywords  such as athlete’s foot, tinea pedis, onychomycosis, terbinafine. 

Conclusion: Tinea pedis and often associated onychomycosis are a medical problem affecting a wide social group. Topical or systemic drugs can be used to treat the aforementioned conditions. Terbinafine, which is a drug belonging to the allylamines, is effective in the treatment of tinea pedis and onychomycosis and has a high safety profile. There are terbinafine products on the market in various forms, e.g. emulsions, creams, film-forming solution, pills, so it is therefore easy to choose a suitable and convenient treatment. The use of lasers such as CO2 fractional laser or Nd:YAG laser seems to be beneficial in the complementary treatment of onychomycosis with terbinafine.