Preliminary Evidence of the Efficacy of Nitric Acid Treatment in Onychomycosis

Félix Marcos-Tejedor, Natividad Santos-Carnicero and Raquel Mayordomo
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Félix Marcos-Tejedor: Department of Nursing, University Center of Plasencia, University of Extremadura, 10600 Plascencia, Spain
Natividad Santos-Carnicero: Department of Anatomy and Human Embryology, University Center of Plasencia, University of Extremadura, 10600 Plasencia, Spain
Raquel Mayordomo: Department of Anatomy and Human Embryology, University Center of Plasencia, University of Extremadura, 10600 Plasencia, Spain

IJERPH, 2021, vol. 18, issue 24, 1-7

Abstract: Onychomycosis is the main cause of toenail disorders and is produced by a fungal infection. It is becoming more prevalent because of new lifestyles and immunosuppression statuses. The therapeutic approach to onychomycosis is under considerable study because of the lengthy treatments that require strong patient commitment, the limited efficacy of treatments, the inclusion of active substances that can be hepatotoxic and cause pharmacological interactions, and/or the questionable efficacy of treatments due to a lack of clinical trials. This study responds to the demand for rapid treatment with minimal pharmacological interactions. Methods: The efficacy of nitric acid 60% treatment in patients with onychomycosis was monitored and studied. The antifungal efficacy of nitric acid was measured by microbiological culture before and after treatment and the clinical evolution of nail dystrophy was quantitatively measured by monitoring with the Onychomycosis Severity Index (OSI). Results: The results show that, with the protocol used, nitric acid 60% painlessly cured 40% (microbiologic cure) of the cases treated, and in all cases, clinical improvement was observed ( p = 0.011). Conclusions: The treatment with nitric acid 60% is as efficient as conventional treatments, requires less patient compliance of the treatment and produces no pharmacological interactions, providing alternative treatment in the case of hepatotoxicity.

Keywords: onychomycosis; nails; nitric acid; treatment (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
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