Mycetoma is a serious and debilitating infectious disease that can affect anyone of any age. People get mycetoma when certain fungi or bacteria enter their skin through a cut, lesion, or crack. In most cases, this is in either the feet or hands because these are the body parts most likely to touch soil or water, which is where mycetoma-causing bacteria and fungi live.
Mycetoma infections are characterized by the growth of masses beneath the skin’s surface. You often won’t notice or feel these growths until the condition has progressed. When this happens, mycetoma starts affecting tissue beneath the skin and the skin itself. Eventually, it can also lead to bone damage, which is the latest stage of the disease. If you have mycetoma, it’s important to get an early diagnosis. Otherwise, it may be impossible to cure.
It’s tough to know when you first get mycetoma because the infection starts beneath the skin’s surface. However, as the condition progresses, it will start to create masses or lumps that grow beneath the skin. Although these masses are usually painless, they can get big enough to impede your way of life.
In addition to large lumps and masses, here are a few other signs and symptoms to watch out for that could indicate you have mycetoma.
When the disease starts spreading, and you experience muscle weakness, it’s often too late for treatment to be effective. Muscle weakness is happening because the mycetoma is eating away at your muscles, ligaments, and bones, and the damage is often irreversible.
Mycetoma is an infectious fungal or bacterial disease. You contract it when a certain fungus or bacteria enters your body through a break in your skin. While Nocardia is the most common bacteria that can lead to mycetoma, it’s far from the only one. Additionally, most known bacteria and fungi that can cause mycetoma live in water or moist soil.
While anyone can get mycetoma at any age, here are a few risk factors that increase your likelihood of getting the disease.
Mycetoma is more common in young males between 15 and 30.
Because mycetoma is contracted in nature, you’re at higher risk if you work in open fields or near water.
Mycetoma is more common among low-income individuals.
One of the leading ways that mycetoma enters the body is through cuts in the feet which result from not wearing shoes.
Diagnosing mycetoma is often a three-step process, and here’s how it works.
Determining whether a bacteria or fungi is responsible for your mycetoma is crucial for developing a proper treatment plan.
Treating and managing mycetoma will depend on whether your condition results from bacteria or fungi. If a fungus is the culprit, your doctor will use antifungal medications to treat it. If treatment is ineffective and the disease is spreading, it may be necessary to amputate the infected limb.
If a bacteria is causing your mycetoma, antibiotics are usually sufficient to cure the disease. However, early diagnosis and treatment are essential to keep the infection from spreading and infecting your muscles and bones. When this happens, treatment is typically ineffective, and your mycetoma could become fatal.