Blue nails
Medical condition
| Azure lunula |
|---|
Blue nails, or more formally azure lunula, are characterized by a blue discoloration of the lunulae, seen in argyria and cases of hepatolenticular degeneration (Wilson's disease), also having been reported in hemoglobin M disease and hereditary acrolabial telangiectases.[1]
In Wilson's disease the blue color involves the lunula (most intense pigmentation) and fades proximally. In argyria, the nail is permanently pigmented a slate-blue color and is most evident in the lunula. Minocycline can also turn the nail plate blue-gray.[2]
See also
- Nail anatomy
- Nail diseases
- Wilson's disease
References
- ^ James, William; Berger, Timothy; Elston, Dirk (2005). Andrews' Diseases of the Skin: Clinical Dermatology. (10th ed.). Saunders. ISBN 0-7216-2921-0.
- ^ Tosti, Antonella; Iorizzo, Matilde; Piraccini, Bianca Maria; Starace, Michela (July 2006). "The Nail in Systemic Diseases". Dermatologic Clinics. 24 (3): 341–347. doi:10.1016/j.det.2006.03.005. PMID 16798431.
