Koilonychia
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Koilonychia, also known as spoon nails,James, William; Berger, Timothy; Elston, Dirk (2005). ''Andrews' Diseases of the Skin: Clinical Dermatology''. (10th ed.). Saunders. . is a nail disease that can be a sign of hypochromic
anemia Anemia (also spelt anaemia in British English) is a blood disorder in which the blood has a reduced ability to carry oxygen. This can be due to a lower than normal number of red blood cells, a reduction in the amount of hemoglobin availabl ...
, especially
iron-deficiency anemia Iron-deficiency anemia is anemia caused by a iron deficiency, lack of iron. Anemia is defined as a decrease in the number of red blood cells or the amount of hemoglobin in the blood. When onset is slow, symptoms are often vague such as Fatigue ( ...
.Freedberg, et al. (2003). ''Fitzpatrick's Dermatology in General Medicine''. (6th ed.). McGraw-Hill. .Kumar, Robbins and Cotran: Pathologic Basis of Disease, 7th ed., 2005. Saunders. It refers to abnormally thin nails (usually of the hand) which have lost their convexity, becoming flat or even concave in shape. In a sense, koilonychia is the opposite of
nail clubbing Nail clubbing, also known as digital clubbing or clubbing, is a deformity of the finger or toe Nail (anatomy), nails associated with a number of diseases, anomalies and defects, some congenital, mostly of the heart disease, heart and lung disea ...
. In early stages nails may be brittle and chip or break easily. Koilonychia is associated with Plummer–Vinson syndrome and iron deficiency anemia. It has also been associated with
lichen planus Lichen planus (LP) is a chronic inflammatory and autoimmune disease that affects the skin, nails, hair, and mucous membranes. It is not an actual lichen, but is named for its appearance. It is characterized by polygonal, flat-topped, violaceous p ...
,
syphilis Syphilis () is a sexually transmitted infection caused by the bacterium ''Treponema pallidum'' subspecies ''pallidum''. The signs and symptoms depend on the stage it presents: primary, secondary, latent syphilis, latent or tertiary. The prim ...
, and
rheumatic fever Rheumatic fever (RF) is an inflammation#Disorders, inflammatory disease that can involve the heart, joints, skin, and brain. The disease typically develops two to four weeks after a Streptococcal pharyngitis, streptococcal throat infection. Si ...
. The term is from Greek κοῖλος (''koilos'') 'hollow' and ὄνυξ (''onyx'') 'nail'. Even though koilonychia has been associated with iron deficiency in case reports, it is more likely seen as an occupational change in nails and may be idiopathic; ruling out iron deficiency anemia in these patients is the only work-up necessary in this condition.


See also

* Kyrle disease *
List of cutaneous conditions Many skin conditions affect the human integumentary system—the organ system covering the entire surface of the Human body, body and composed of Human skin, skin, hair, Nail (anatomy), nails, and related muscle and glands. The major function o ...


References


External links

* {{Congenital malformations and deformations of skin appendages Conditions of the skin appendages