Paronychia | |
---|---|
Other names | Perionychia[1] |
Acute paronychia of the middle finger | |
Specialty | Dermatology, emergency medicine |
Symptoms | Acute: Pain, redness, swelling, pus[2][3] Chronic Mild tenderness, redness, nail changes[2][3] |
Complications | Abscess[3] |
Types | Acute, chronic[3] |
Causes | Infectious (bacterial, viral, fungal), frequent hand washing, nail biting, certain medications[3] |
Diagnostic method | Based on examination[3] |
Differential diagnosis | Cellulitis, felon, herpetic whitlow, onychomycosis, nail psoriasis[3] |
Treatment | Acute: Warm compresses, antibiotics, incision and drainage[2][1] Chronic: Avoiding the underlying cause, antifungal and corticosteroid cream[2][1] |
Frequency | Common[4] |
Paronychia is inflammation of the skin around the nail.[3][2] It may present suddenly with pain, redness, swelling, and pus; or gradually with mild tenderness, redness, and nail changes.[2][3] The index and middle fingers are most commonly affected, though other fingers or toes may be involved.[2][1] Complications may include an abscess.[3]
It may occur due to an infection (bacterial, viral, or fungal), as a result of irritation such as frequent hand washing or nail biting, or as a result of certain medications.[3] When due to the bacteria Staph. aureus onset is generally sudden, while when due to Candida albicans it is generally gradual.[2] Minor trauma may also result in an increased risk of infection.[2] Diagnosis is generally based on examination.[3]
Acute paronychia is generally treated by warm compresses, antibiotics, or incision and drainage.[2][1] Chronic paronychia is generally treated by avoiding the underlying cause together with an antifungal and corticosteroid cream such as clotrimazole and betamethasone.[2] It is a common infection of the hand.[4] Women are affected three times as often as men.[3]
References
edit- ^ a b c d e Rigopoulos D, Larios G, Gregoriou S, Alevizos A (February 2008). "Acute and chronic paronychia". Am Fam Physician. 77 (3): 339–46. PMID 18297959.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k James G. Marks; Jeffrey J. Miller (2013). "21. Nail disorders". Lookingbill and Marks' Principles of Dermatology E-Book (Fifth ed.). Elsevier Saunders. p. 256. ISBN 978-1-4557-2875-6. Archived from the original on 2021-08-29. Retrieved 2020-11-10.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Dulski, A; Edwards, CW (January 2020). "Paronychia". PMID 31335027.
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(help) - ^ a b Rockwell PG (March 2001). "Acute and chronic paronychia". Am Fam Physician. 63 (6): 1113–6. PMID 11277548.