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Tinea is a fungus, a type of microorganism, that can cause a tinea infection. Tinea is a common cause of fungal infections. Tinea causes athlete's foot, jock itch and ringworm.
Tinea is spread from person to person by direct contact, commonly in such places as contaminated public showers, locker rooms, work-out mats, and gym equipment. It can also be spread from cats, dogs and domesticated animals to humans.
Anyone can get a tinea infection. People most at risk for tinea infections include those taking strong antibiotics, especially for a long period of time. People with diabetes are more likely to develop tinea infections because the elevated level of sugar in the body provide food for fungus and encourage its overgrowth. Other people at risk for tinea infections include the very young and very old.
Recurrent tinea infections can be a symptom of a serious disease, such as HIV/AIDS or diabetes. People with weakened immune systems are more likely to develop tinea infections and have recurrent bouts of tinea infections. This includes people with HIV/AIDS or those taking steroid medications or on chemotherapy, which all suppress the immune system.
Tinea infections can cause a variety of symptoms, depending on the type of infection, the area of the body affected, and other factors. Tinea infections, such as athlete's foots can increase the risk for developing a cellulitis, which can be serious in some people. For more information on symptoms and complications, refer to symptoms of tinea.
Making a diagnosis of an infection caused by tinea includes performing a complete medical evaluation and history and physical examination that focuses on the area of the body that has symptoms. Diagnosing common tinea infections, such as athlete's foot, jock itch and ringworm can generally be done by visual exam of the foot for athlete's foot, groin for jock itch, or scalp for ringworm.
Diagnostic testing for the microorganism causing the complication of cellulitis generally includes taking a small sample or swab of the infected area, such as a lesion, and examining it under a microscope.
It is possible that a diagnosis of tinea infection can be missed or delayed because symptoms may be mild and for other reasons. For more information on misdiagnosis, refer to misdiagnosis of tinea.
Common tinea infections, such as athlete's foot, jock itch and ringworm can often be successfully treated with over-the-counter antifungal medications. For more information on treatment, refer to treatment of tinea. ...more »
Tinea: A general term for various fungal skin afflictions; often incorrectly called ringworm. More detailed information about the symptoms, causes, and treatments of Tinea is available below.
Symptoms of tinea infections differ depending on the type of infection, severity of the infection and the area of the body affected.
Symptoms of athlete's foot include scaling and flaking of the skin and itching of the feet. The tinea infection that causes athlete's foot can spread from the skin to the toenails causing thick, yellowish ...more symptoms »
The most effective treatment plan for tinea infections uses a multifaceted approach. The first step in treatment is prevention.
Prevention and treatment measures include maintaining good groin, foot and skin hygiene. It is also important not to share towels, underwear, shoes and other personal items with other people. Socks and underwear should be changed once a day or whenever ...more treatments »
A diagnosis of tinea infections begins with taking a thorough health history, including symptoms, and performing a physical exam that focuses on the area of the body that is having symptoms. A diagnosis of tinea infection may be overlooked or delayed because symptoms may be mild in some people or may be attributed to other causes, such as dry skin, dermatitis or ...more misdiagnosis »
See full list of 9 symptoms of Tinea
See full list of 7 treatments for Tinea
Read more about Deaths and Tinea.
Alternative treatments or home remedies that have been listed in various sources as possibly beneficial for Tinea may include:
See full list of 9 Types of Tinea
Read more about tests for Tinea
See full list of 11 causes of Tinea
Read more about causes of Tinea.
More information about causes of Tinea:
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Read more about Misdiagnosis and Tinea
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The US based website ClinicalTrials.gov lists information on both federally and privately supported clinical trials using human volunteers.
Some of the clinical trials listed on ClinicalTrials.gov for Tinea include:
See full list of 8 Clinical Trials for Tinea
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A family of ascomycetous fungi, order Onygenales, characterized by smooth ascospores. The two genera in the family are Arthroderma and Ctenomyces. Several well-known anamorphic forms are parasitic upon the skin. - (Source - Diseases Database)
Infections of the skin or nails caused by fungi and appearing as itching circular patches - (Source - WordNet 2.1)
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