[Nail susceptibility to fungal infection in patients with type 1 and 2 diabetes under long term poor glycaemia control].

Onychomycosis is a common disorder in adults. Its prevalence increases also in diabetics. The objective of the study was: 1) evaluation of finger and toe nail susceptibility to Candida albicans and Trichophyton mentagrophytes infection in patients with type 1 and type 2 diabetes with long term glycaemia under poor control as compared with healthy persons, and 2) checking whether or not various aetiology of type 1 and type 2 diabetes may influence the intensity of fungal nail infection. The materials comprised finger and toe nails sampled from 26 patients with type 1 diabetes (20 females and 6 males at average age 51 +/- 10 years), 25 patients with type 2 diabetes (17 females and 8 males at average age 58 +/- 4 years). Twenty two healthy volunteers (18 females and 4 males at average age 47 +/- 14 years) served as controls. All of the diabetics (except one with type 1 diabetes and four with type 2 diabetes) had increased fasting glycaemia; moreover, all of them had poor controlled long term glycaemia because the concentration of glycated haemoglobin HbAlc exceeded 7.5%. The patients with type 1 diabetes were treated with insulin while those with type 2 diabetes with diet only (one person), with gliclazide (sixteen persons), with glimepirid (five persons), and with metformin (four persons). Enhanced fingernail susceptibility to Candida albicans infection was detected in 38.5% of the patients with type 1 diabetes, in 28% of those with type 2 diabetes, and in 22.7% of the controls. Intensive toenail infection was found in 34.6%, 20%, and 22.7% respectively. Enhanced fingernail susceptibility to Trichophyton mentagrophytes infection was found in 30.8% of the patients with type 1 diabetes, in 48% of those with type 2 diabetes, and in 4.54% of the controls while intensive toenail infection in 15.4%, 20%, and 18,2% respectively. Statistical analysis gave evidence of statistically significant higher susceptibility to infection of finger and toe nails with T. mentagrophytes but not with C. albicans in both type 1 and type 2 diabetics, as compared with the controls. In the diabetics, no significant correlation was found between the susceptibility to C. albicans and T. mentagrophytes infection and the age of the patients, metabolic diabetes control (evaluated on the basis of serum glucose level and blood HbAlc concentration), as well as the duration of diabetes.