4 common traits of toenail fungus and Covid-19 and should you be more worried?

When I was doing my research into toenail fungus a bit more deeply I found out that there were some commonalities with the novel coronavirus, now named Covid-19. We have already heard or read by now that if you have a pre-existing condition such as respiratory problems or diabetes, you may be more at risk of the Covid-19 or novel coronavirus because of an already weakened immune response. But does toenail fungus fall under the category of one of those medical conditions and if so, should you be more worried about Covid-19 virus?

Well, whether it is the novel coronavirus or any other kind of disease, if you have a pre-existing medical condition, it seems that your body will be less defensive against other kinds of infection anyway. The key here is to try to minimize that probability and take precautions immediately.

Is toenail fungus just an infection or is it a medical condition?

Onychomycosis, also known as tinea unguium is a fungal infection of the nail and apparently the toenail is quite the sweet spot for this pesky microbe because the fungus enjoys the warm and moist environment underneath the toenail.

It is considered more of an infection rather than a medical condition ¹https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/nail-fungus/symptoms-causes/syc-20353294 and tends to be more localised to the nails, assuming you didn’t unknowingly spread it to other parts of your body or even to other people through rubbing or touching infected toenails or coming into contact through its spores.

Other factors to consider besides a pre-existing condition

There are certain factors that can make some members of the population more susceptible to contracting toenail fungus. Those with pre-existing conditions such as diabetes, athlete’s foot, a weakened immune system may find it harder to get rid of it as compared to those who do not have any current medical conditions. Either way, how long to get rid of toenail fungus will depend on how consistent and effective your treatment is and you can expect it is going to be a tough slog. The treatment process may have to become your routine for weeks or even months to come, depending on your severity to begin with. And it has to be a regime that tackles your nail fungus infection both internally as well as externally.

However, if you did manage to get through it faster and quicker than most, feel free to leave a comment if you can, as this would really help our fellow readers. Nothing in life is a guarantee, except death and taxes, as the saying goes, but it only makes sense to learn from others who have succeeded.

There is no scientific research that I can find that shows a correlation between the two at the moment but there is a real urgent need for a more uniformed database that can provide more accessible information on fungal research for medical researchers.

1. Both toenail fungus and the novel coronavirus are contagious

Even though there are some sources that say contracting toenail fungus is rare, ²https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/nail-fungus/symptoms-causes/syc-20353294 it does not mean it is not contagious.

If you happen to try on shoes at a store without any socks on or have been to a nail salon that might not be up to scratch with their sterilization techniques, you have just about shot yourself in the foot (no pun intended). Furthermore, staying in close proximity with a sufferer under the same roof will greatly increase your chances of getting it as well. ³https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/myc.12088

Although how prevalent is nail fungus spores outside of the human body has not been fully explored.

However, the novel coronavirus seems to have a higher rate of infection as it appears to be more contagious than the seasonal flu because it can be transmitted when a person has yet to show any symptoms and capable of staying on surfaces for up to 3 days. In that respect, it seems to be more contagious than toenail fungus.

2. A great number of cases found in similar geographical locations.

It was interesting to discover that there seems to be a connection with geographical location and the prevalence of nail fungus.⁴https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/myc.12396 Some of the references also reveal some of these nail fungal hot spots to be in China, Italy and Iran, that also happened to be hot spots for the novel coronavirus too. Perhaps it is due to their compact living lifestyle that allowed the fungus and the virus to be so transmittable.

3. Similar category of people who are most at risk

• Older members of the population who are over 60 years of age.

• It seems men are at a higher risk to contract nail fungal infection as compared to women ⁵https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4047123/

and are at a higher mortality rate compared to women for the novel coronavirus.

There does not seem to be any specific evidence for the reasons behind these gender differences but it appears to be more due to lifestyle habits. For instance, in the case of toenail fungal infection, men are more likely to wear covered footwear that can restrict airflow such as work boots for their occupation whereas in regard to the novel coronavirus that causes respiratory problems, men are more likely to be smokers compared to women.

• Sufferers of pre-existing medical conditions such as a weakened immune system or diabetes.

If you do have a medical condition AND have toenail fungus, you’ve just fallen into a much higher risk category if you do get infected with Covid-19 because that would be just one more “battle” that your body is just too compromised to handle.

However, that shouldn’t get your hopes down as other factors need to be taken into consideration as mentioned above.

4. A potential natural remedy that could fight both fungus and virus besides a vaccine

There is hope and a higher probability to tip the scales of the fungal and viral war in humanity’s favor. If the virus existed from nature, then nature will provide the cure.

There’s even a correlation that mangrove extract could be one way to fight funguses, bacteria, tumors and even viruses such as coronavirus, ⁶https://patents.google.com/patent/US20120040033A1/en

Mangrove extract has the ability to inhibit the reproductive capabilities of these pathogens and can be taken ingested or applied topically. Further research would need to be undertaken in order to come to more conclusive results.

Conclusion: If you have been taking steps towards your nail fungal treatment and improving your immunity either through some of our suggested home remedies, along with practicing safe and hygiene techniques to tackle your toenail fungus, you can be rest assured that you are already in control of building up your body’s defense system to combat any current or future infections or diseases.

Through personal experience, whenever I feel that I’m coming down with a cold, headache, cough or flu, I don’t take it lightly and expect it to just go away in a day or two. Chances are pretty high that it’s going to take a week or more and I would have to suffer the full extent of the disease if I didn’t do anything about it earlier. That’s why I find boosting my immunity on a daily basis or giving an extra boost at the very first sign of something will help your body have the required reinforcements it needs which will lead to a faster recovery or a milder version of the disease that will allow you to get back to life sooner rather than later.

Furthermore, you are ahead of most people who haven’t even started yet. Of course, still keep well within the 14-day quarantine period, if you do catch it and continue to practice hygiene measures based on WHO’s recommendations and keep abreast with the latest developments.