Effectiveness of efinaconazole for toenail onychomycosis in a patient undergoing maintenance hemodialysis

Abstract

Onychomycosis of the feet and other parts of the body frequently progresses subclinically and remains untreated in patients who consider it a sign of aging. However, onychomycosis can be exacerbated in the presence of peripheral arterial disease and critical limb ischemia, diseases that have shown a trend toward increasing incidence in recent years. Therefore, it is important to treat onychomycosis in order to prevent lower limb amputation and improve the prognosis of such patients. We report a case of successful treatment of toenail onychomycosis with the application of efinaconazole in a patient undergoing maintenance hemodialysis. The patient was a 66-year-old woman undergoing hemodialysis for chronic renal failure resulting from diabetic nephropathy at our hospital since June 2011. Onychomycosis was present in both halluces ; we treated the patient by applying efinaconazole 3 days a week when she visited the hospital for hemodialysis starting late October 2014. Approximately 3 months after initiating the treatment, favorable nail growth was observed macroscopically. These results indicate that efinaconazole is a potentially effective treatment option for onychomycosis in patients undergoing hemodialysis.