"The clinical trial demonstrated the effectiveness of the treatment by firstly identifying fungicidal activity of the protocol on pure in-vitro cultures of species of representative fungi from each of the three main subgroups that cause OM in humans and, secondly, on ex-vivo animal tissue cultures obtained from porcine hooves.
Bearing in mind the numbers that surround this fungal disease, in terms of number of affected people and health expenditure, this discovery will have a substantial impact on the society and also from the economic point of view.
Regarding the affected population, a non-invasive, painless and without side effects treatment will be accessible and universal, which will reduce the time needed to achieve a fungal cure and the clinical improvement of the affected members.
For some patients, a fungal desease is only an aesthetical inconvenience and not a medical problem. However, the impact of the onychomycosis varies and can significantly reduce the patients quality of life, cause pain, permanent nail damage and even physical disability, as well as the contagion to other people and emotional problems. Thus, an effective treatment of this nature will motivate the patients, contrary to the current lines of treatment, which easily discourage them, causing that many patients simply get used to living with this condition.
In this sense, an increased awareness about the illness has been noticed, specially in the elderly people sector, encouraged by the sensibilisation about the ""healthy longevity"" concept.
From the point of view of economy, the ageing population and public awareness, increases of per capita health expenditure on current treatments. Only taking into account the topical and oral treatments dispensed under medical prescription, it is estimated that OM moves around 3 billion euros, 70% of which is in topical treatments (lacquers), and other therapies are not included.
On the other hand, fungal nail infections can become a persistent reservoir for more significant infectious disease problems. In diabetic patients for example, OM increases the risk of other foot ailments such as bacterial infections, ulcers and gangrene. Diabetic patients with foot ulcers are four times more likely to suffer foot amputation if they have OM.
Therefore, the successful implementation of our strategy could alter the way they treat fungal nail infections and significantly reduce the morbidity caused by these infections, as well as improve the quality of life of millions of affected people.
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