Splinter hemorrhages (or haemorrhages) are tiny blood clots that tend to run vertically under the nails. Splinter hemorrhages are not specific to any particular condition, and can be associated with subacute infective endocarditis, scleroderma, trichinosis,

systemic lupus erythematosus Lupus, technically known as systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), is an autoimmune disease in which the body's immune system mistakenly attacks healthy tissue in many parts of the body. Symptoms vary among people and may be mild to severe. Comm ...

(SLE), rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic nails, antiphospholipid syndrome,Freedberg, et al. (2003). ''Fitzpatrick's Dermatology in General Medicine''. (6th ed.). McGraw-Hill. . haematological malignancy, and trauma. At first they are usually plum-colored, but then darken to brown or black in a couple of days. In certain conditions (in particular, infective endocarditis), clots can migrate from the affected heart valve and find their way into various parts of the body. If this happens in the finger, it can cause damage to the capillaries resulting in a splinter hemorrhage. There are a number of other causes for splinter hemorrhages. They could be due to hitting the nail (trauma), a sign of inflammation in blood vessels all around the body (

systemic vasculitis Necrotizing vasculitis, also called systemic necrotizing vasculitus, is a category of vasculitis, comprising vasculitides that present with necrosis. Examples include giant cell arteritis, microscopic polyangiitis, and granulomatosis with polyangi ...

), or they could be where a fragment of cholesterol has become lodged in the capillaries of the finger. Even if a patient does have infective endocarditis, roughly 1 in 10 patients have splinter hemorrhages.

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Splinter hemorrhage under the microscope

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Splinter Hemorrhage Symptoms and signs: Skin and subcutaneous tissue Conditions of the skin appendages Symptoms and signs: Cardiac

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