What is the Difference Between Fungal Infection and Psoriasis

The key difference between fungal infection and psoriasis is that fungal infection is a disease condition caused by fungi such as dermatophytes, while psoriasis is an autoimmune condition caused by a malfunctioning immune system that attacks healthy skin cells.

Fungal infection and psoriasis are two medical conditions that have similar symptoms. These diseases can result in red patches on the skin. However, if the patches in the skin look like circles or rings, it’s more likely to be a fungal infection. If there are silvery-looking patches in the skin, it’s more likely to be psoriasis. Both these conditions can be treated through topical applications such as creams and lotions.

CONTENTS

1. Overview and Key Difference
2. What is Fungal Infection
3. What is Psoriasis
4. Similarities – Fungal Infection and Psoriasis
5. Fungal Infection vs. Psoriasis in Tabular Form
6. Summary – Fungal Infection vs Psoriasis

What is Fungal Infection?

Fungal infection or mycosis is a medical condition caused by fungi such as yeast or mold. Fungal infections are most common on the skin or nails but can also appear in the mouth, throat, lungs, urinary tract, and many other body parts. The typical symptoms of this condition may include itching, soreness, or rash in the affected part of the body, discolored, thick, or cracked nails, pain while eating, loss of taste, white patches in the mouth or throat, a painless lump under the skin, cough, fatigue, fever, shortness of breath, muscle aches, joint pain, headache, and night sweats. Moreover, fungal infection is caused by dermatophytes fungi, Candida (Candida albicans), and environmental fungi such as Histoplasma, Coccidioides, Blastomyces, and Aspergillus. Fungal infection can spread from person to person by direct contact and through the environment.

These infections can be diagnosed through physical examination and culturing using samples like skin, nails, blood, phlegm, CNS fluid, urine, eye secretions, vaginal discharge, X-ray, MRI, and CT scan. Antifungal oral medication, intravenous medication, lotion, cream, powder, mouthwash or lozenges, eye drops, and shampoos are the treatment options for fungal infections.

What is Psoriasis?

Psoriasis is a skin condition that causes flaky patches of skin that usually form scales. It is a long-term disease with no proper cure. This condition commonly appears on the knees, elbows, trunk, and scalp. The typical signs and symptoms of psoriasis include a patchy rash on the skin, rashes that vary in color (gray color on brown or black skin and pink with silver color on white skin), small scaling spots (mainly in children), dry and cracked skin, itching, burning, soreness, and cyclic rashes that flare. Psoriasis is caused by an immune system issue that triggers skin cells to grow faster than usual. Moreover, psoriasis triggers may include obesity, smoking, chronic or extreme stress, cold, dry air, infections like strep throat or skin infections, injuries to the skin like cuts, bug bites, or severe sunburn, certain medications (lithium, high blood pressure drugs, and antimalarial drugs), and rapid withdrawal of corticosteroids.

Psoriasis is mainly diagnosed through skin biopsy. Furthermore, psoriasis can be treated through topical creams (coal tar extracts and steroids), narrow band ultraviolet (UVB) light therapy, oral medications (steroids, retinoids, methotrexate, cyclosporine, thioguanine, and hydroxyurea), and biologic injections.

What are the Similarities Between Fungal Infection and Psoriasis?

• Fungal infection and psoriasis are two medical conditions that show similar symptoms, such as red patches on the skin, pain, etc.
• Both conditions are not life-threatening.
• Both conditions can be diagnosed through physical examinations.
• They can be treated through topical and oral medications.

What is the Difference Between Fungal Infection and Psoriasis?

Fungal infection is caused by fungi such as dermatophytes, while psoriasis is an autoimmune condition caused by an overactive immune system attacking healthy skin cells. Thus, this is the key difference between fungal infections and psoriasis. Furthermore, fungal infections affect the skin or nails, mouth, throat, lungs, urinary tract, and many other parts of the body, while psoriasis mainly affects the skin.

The infographic below presents the differences between fungal infections and psoriasis in tabular form for side-by-side comparison.

Summary – Fungal Infection vs Psoriasis

Fungal infection and psoriasis are two medical conditions that can affect the skin of the body. Fungal infection can affect other parts of the body, including the mouth, throat, lungs, urinary tract, etc. They may have similar symptoms, such as red patches on the skin, pain, etc. Fungal infection is caused by fungi such as dermatophytes, Candida (Candida albicans), and environmental fungi such as Histoplasma, Coccidioides, Blastomyces, and Aspergillus. On the other hand, psoriasis happens due to an overactive immune system that attacks healthy skin cells. This speeds up the production of new skin cells, causing the signs and symptoms of psoriasis. So, this summarizes the difference between fungal infection and psoriasis.

Reference:

1. “Fungal Infection (Mycosis): Types, Causes & Treatments.” Cleveland Clinic.
2. “Psoriasis.” Mayo Clinic.

Image Courtesy:

1. “Fungal infection on head scalp” By Vis M – Own work (CC BY-SA 4.0) via Commons Wikimedia
2. “Psoriasis on elbow” By Haley Otman – (2019-10-29) (CC BY 3.0) via Commons Wikimedia