URMC / Encyclopedia / Content Search Encyclopedia What Do You Know About Athlete's Foot? Itch. Scratch. Itch. Scratch. The itching caused by athlete's foot can be intense. Named for the active people who seem most prone to this condition, athlete's foot can affect even couch potatoes. Find out more by taking this multiple-choice quiz. 1. Athlete's foot is caused by: You didn't answer this question. You answered The correct answer is The fungi are called dermatophytes, and they grow on the skin and in warm, moist places, like the insides of your sweaty shoes. The infection is called tinea pedis, from the Latin word for foot. A. WormsB. FungiC. BacteriaD. Poison ivy 2. Athlete's foot is related to which other skin condition(s)? You didn't answer this question. You answered The correct answer is Tinea is the medical name for a group of fungal skin infections, named for the part of the body affected. Ringworm is the popular term for tinea. Tinea pedis is athlete's foot. Tinea cruris or Jock itch is tinea that affects the groin area. Ringworm that affects the body is called tinea corporis, from the Latin word for body. Ringworm of the scalp is called tinea capitis, from the Latin word for head. A. RingwormB. Jock itchC. EczemaD. A and B 3. You can get athlete's foot by: You didn't answer this question. You answered The correct answer is You can pick up the fungus that causes athlete's foot in warm, moist places the fungus likes to grow. Public pools and showers are good breeding grounds for the fungus, as are sweaty shoes. A. Using a public showerB. Wearing someone else's shoesC. Swimming at a public poolD. All of the above 4. Which can be a symptom of athlete's foot? You didn't answer this question. You answered The correct answer is The primary site on the foot for this infection is between the toes and toenails. Athlete's foot is usually itchy and can burn. The area is usually red and scaly. The skin between the toes and feet can blister, crack, peel, and ooze. The infection may also affect the palms and fingernails. A. Itching or burning on skin of feetB. Rash on feetC. Blisters on feetD. Thick or crumbling toenailsE. All of the above 5. Which of the following can help get rid of athlete's foot? You didn't answer this question. You answered The correct answer is Athlete's foot usually can be cleared up by keeping the feet clean and dry and by using over-the-counter or prescription creams and powders to fight the infection. A. By washing the feet with soap and water, then drying thoroughlyB. By wearing clean socks and dry shoesC. By using antifungal cream or powder on the affected foot/feetD. All of the above 6. How can you prevent athlete's foot? You didn't answer this question. You answered The correct answer is Always wear dry socks. If your feet sweat a lot, consider alternating pairs of shoes, so you don't wear the same pair from day to day. Some people wear flip-flops in public showers or pools to prevent contracting the fungus, but research has found that thoroughly drying your feet after using these facilities is the best preventive measure. Using a blow dryer on your feet, particularly between the toes, works better than a towel. A. Always wear dry socksB. Give your shoes time to air out if they are dampC. Dry your feet thoroughly after a bath or showerD. All of the above 7. Which can be a complication of athlete's foot? You didn't answer this question. You answered The correct answer is This is a potentially serious bacterial skin infection. If you have diabetes, cellulitis may develop from even mild forms of athlete’s foot due to the cracks in the skin. Therefore, prevention and treatment of athlete’s foot is especially important if you have diabetes. Cellulitis is treated with antibiotics. A. CellulitisB. AcneC. HammertoeD. None of the above Your score was: Medical Reviewers: Felson, Sabrina MD Sather, Rita RN Wojcik, Stacey, MBS, BSN, RN