Onychomycosis

enlightenment with students of the public schools of Diamantina, State of Minas Gerais, Brazil

Abstract

The incidence, prevalence, and morbidity of onychomycosis or nail fungus make it a public health problem. The clinical diagnosis, based solely on the clinical characteristics of the lesions, has been proved insufficient, leading to therapeutic errors. Mycological diagnosis is extremely important to define the true cause of the lesion and to assist in the choice of appropriate therapy. In this sense, undergraduate students of the Pharmacy course of the Federal University of Jequitinhonha and Mucuri Valleys (UFVJM) sought to raise awareness of the ninth year of elementary school in the public schools of Diamantina, Minas Gerais, on the forms of contagion, symptoms, diagnosis, treatment and prophylaxis of nail fungi through lectures and a primer on the subject. In addition it was analyzed the students nail samples who presented signs of the fungus. It was diagnosed a positive case and sent to the dermatologist, who indicated the appropriate drug therapy. It was implemented a follow-up of treatment until evidence of cure. The approach, besides fulfilling its objective, which is the extension, involved research and social intervention activity, benefiting all actors: school, students, scholarship, course and university, enriching university production and contributing to the quality of life of the population.