Common amongst the general population, typical fungal infections can be easily treated with over the counter drugs. When they occur in a diabetic, fungal infections can become more severe or occur with greater frequency. Common afflictions include jock itch, athlete’s foot, and in women, yeast infections. Diabetic patients are at higher risk of contracting fungal infections and suffering from chronic infections when blood glucose is not kept at normal levels. Beyond the most well known fungal infections, there are a variety of infections that can occur in the diabetic patient, which if left untreated, can become life threatening.

Diabetic fungal infections frequently manifest on the skin where fungus feeds on glucose. The condition athlete’s foot (tinea pedis) is caused by trichophyton rubrum and trichophyton mentagrophytes, causing scaling and cracking between the toes and sometimes fingers. Ring worm (tinea corporis or tinea capitis) caused by dermatophytes produces circular red scaly patches.…