What is the true burden of nail infections on patients’ well-being?
What is the true burden of nail infections on patients’ well-being?

What is the true burden of nail infections on patients’ well-being?

Written by Emma Leigh, Medical Writing Lead.

Blueberry Therapeutics hopes to make a real difference to the quality of life for people who suffer from skin and nail conditions by curing the symptoms they experience. To do this, it is key to understand exactly what issues affect people with these conditions, how this makes them feel, and how much this impacts their daily way of life.

Our most advanced area of research is fungal infection of the nails, also called onychomycosis, which leads to thickening, splitting, roughening, discolouration and eventually destruction of the nail. This is an extremely common ailment that affects hundreds of millions of people around the world, with prevalence rates up to 23% in Europe, 20% in East Asia and 14% in North America.¹ Experts believe that these rates are set to increase even further, partly because of our ageing population, increased migration and changes in lifestyle.

Nail infections should not be considered as simply a cosmetic problem but need to be recognised as an important condition that must be treated. Firstly, for medical reasons as they can lead to more serious infections elsewhere in the body, infections in other family members, and can cause other medical complications. And secondly, as the impact on an individual can be considerable – sadly much greater than is generally recognised. Patients can suffer pain, disability, psychological and social problems, which can affect their work and leisure activities, and ultimately reduce their quality of life.²Therefore, treatment is key, but importantly, a treatment that fixes the problem without it recurring.

Various studies have assessed the […]

Susan Yau2021-05-18T14:06:53+00:00June 18th, 2020|Blog Articles|

Starting off on the right foot
Starting off on the right foot

Starting off on the right foot

Written by Dr Heather Davies-Strickleton, Senior Analytical Scientist

Now a new year is here we start to take a closer look at ourselves. Our body shape, weight and diet are key areas we frequently try to improve. But what about our foot health? We often neglect to look as far as our feet, which can hold some secrets and sometimes sinister surprises.

Healthy feet are pivotal to good mobility and influence our physical, as well as mental, well-being. The benefits of walking are numerous and span from reduced physical fatigue and better posture to improved creativity and problem-solving.^1-3 With healthy feet we can improve fitness, feel independent and get around our local communities, meeting old friends and making new ones.

While healthy feet can facilitate our lifestyles, having unhealthy feet can hinder us. Unfortunately, foot problems are very common – in a study, called the Achilles Project, over 70,000 GP/dermatologist patients (irrespective of their initial diagnosis) were examined, and it was found that 57 % of patients had at least one foot disease.⁴ Despite the importance of healthy feet and the high prevalence of foot diseases, we don’t always care for our feet as we do other parts of our body, which can allow problems to go unnoticed.

Often the first sign that something is wrong with our feet is when we experience pain or discomfort. For instance, Athlete’s foot (tinea pedis) affects 1 in 6 of us and often starts with an irritating itchy rash, but can progress to painful cracking and blistering of the skin.^5-6 Other common foot problems, including ingrown […]

admin2021-05-25T09:01:27+00:00January 10th, 2020|Blog Articles|