Ringworm in Humans

What is Ringworm in Humans

Ringworm in Humans can happen to various parts of the body which include the skin, the groin, the face, hair, feet and nails. They show their symptoms in different ways depending on what part of the body picks up the actual Ringworm infection. Let's look at these individually so as we can fully understand how Ringworm in Humans manifests itself. Before we do that, it is important to understand what the disease Ringworm is.

It is medically classified as a contagious fungus infection and has nothing to do with any type of worm. That is probably one of the biggest misunderstandings about Ringworm. The actual name comes from a very characteristic red ring that usually appears on the infected person's skin. "Tinea" is yet another name for Ringworm.

Treatment for Ringworm

The actual outbreak of Ringworm is a combination of a few different fungus organisms that belong to a group called Dermatophytes. The differing types of dermatophytes will have different noticeable outcomes depending on which part of the body the Ringworm is manifested. These are shown below:

    The scalp (hair and underneath)
    The body and most typically the groin area
    The foot and is more commonly known as athlete's foot
    The nails on either hand or feet or both.

Ringworm is not particular to any individual country and is in fact widespread around the world. The particular fungus that attacks the scalp lives in Humans, pets and animals such as cats, dogs and horses. The fungus that attacks the body lives in Humans, animals, and soil. The fungi that attack the feet and the nails exist only in Humans.

Ringworm Treatment for Humans

How do humans get Ringworm?

Ringworm in humans can be transmitted by either direct or indirect contact. Humans can receive Ringworm by any type of direct skin-to-skin contact with a person or pet who is already infected. Humans can also get Ringworm indirectly by contact with areas or surfaces that an infected person or pet has been in contact with. These would include everyday items like hats, coats, hair brushes, combs, towels, bed clothes, toys etc. It appears to be more common these days that humans can pick up Ringworm from the soil in the ground or garden and it is usually from the various forms of vermin urine.

What are the signs and symptoms of Ringworm?

Body or Skin Ringworm

Depending on where the Ringworm actually occurs you will see different symptoms. Let us examine the body and skin first and understand the symptoms you are most likely to see.

This will show up as a rather flat, round patch anywhere on the skin having started life as a pimple or small spot. The most common place to find this starting will be the groin. It will eventually spread though then take on the shape of a ring as the centre spot begins to turn clear. Typically more than one patch will appear and in many instances these patches beging to overlap. They can become rather troublesome and very itchy, as well as looking rather embarassing.

Ringworm of the Feet

This is better known as athlete's foot. The noticeable signs of this will include a type of scaling and flaking and is really itchy and irritating. It is often likely to be associated with blisters and the inevitable cracked skin. This infection can then spread to other areas of the body and the groin is most likely. It is also referred to as tinea corporis and the first signs of it are nearly always between the small toe and the next one.

Ringworm of the Nails

The affected nails start to look thicker and begin to discolour. They also will eventually become very brittle, then take on a chalky appearance and eventually begin to disintegrate.

Ringworm of the Scalp

Under the hair this usually starts out life as a little pimple that starts to grow in size. This will eventually leave scaly patches as the infected hairs also become brittle and begin to drop off. This could result in temporary baldness. Although not always easy to see, yellow coloured crusted areas develop on the scalp and are very unsightly.

Signs of Ringworm

Scalp Ringworm takes the longest to appear after infection typically ten to fourteen days after contact with the infection. Skin or body ringworm shows itself much quicker anything between four to ten days after contact. The other types of Ringworm do not have any known time scales for manifestation.

Who can get Ringworm?

The simple answer to this is the no-one is immune from Ringworm. If anyone is at any particular risk it is usually small children and there have been many known outbreaks at schools. This shows the highly contagious nature of this disease and it should not be taken lightly and must be treated instantly. One group identified at being at particular risk are small children with pets. This makes sense in many ways as pets are carriers and therefore the risk is increased.

Can Ringworm be prevented?

The simple answer to this is no. Any type of Ringworm is very hard to prevent. It is a common fungus and it is very contagious and has already happened well before any symptoms appear. There are of course things that you should immediately do to get treated and then prevent Ringworm from spreading any further and we will look at these now:

    You must first and foremost get a treatment that will work for you and there are quite a few to choose from. Once you have selected your treatment then you must always take the full medication to the very end, even if you see signs of improvement, which usually takes around two weeks.
    The next important thing to do is to find the source from which you became infecyed and make certain they have been treated as well, be that human or animal.
    Difficult as it will be, try to avoid any direct contact with anyone until your treatment is completed and this can take up to four weeks.

Be strict with your own hygiene and under no circumstances share any type of clothings such as hats, gloves, socks or any personal items. The same applied to bed clothes, towels or anything that may be shared by anyone else.

Ringworm In Humans

This article should not be used for any type of self diagnosis and is for your information only. If in any doubt always consult your doctor.

What is the treatment for Ringworm?

Ringworm in humans can be treated with the many types of fungus killing medicines and there are many to choose from. These medicines come in creams, gels, sprays, tablets, pills or liquid form orally.