Clinical Characteristics of Green Nail Syndrome: A Retrospective Analysis
- Author:
Gi-Wook LEE
1
;
Kyung-Nam BAE
;
Jin-Hwa SON
;
Kihyuk SHIN
;
Hoon-Soo KIM
;
Hyun-Chang KO
;
Byungsoo KIM
;
Moon-Bum KIM
Author Information
1. Department of Dermatology, Pusan National University School of Medicine, Yangsan, Korea
- Publication Type:Original Article
- From:Korean Journal of Dermatology
2022;60(7):429-435
- CountryRepublic of Korea
- Language:English
-
Abstract:
Background:Green nail syndrome (GNS) is characterized by a greenish discoloration of the nail with accompanying nail apparatus disorders, such as onycholysis or paronychia. To date, data on the clinical characteristics of GNS are limited, especially in Korea.
Objective:This study aimed to investigate the clinical characteristics of GNS.
Methods:We retrospectively reviewed the medical records and clinical photographs of 78 patients with 91 GNS lesions diagnosed at the Pusan National University Hospitals (Busan and Yangsan) from 2009 to 2021.
Results:Among 78 patients, 47 (60.3%) were female and 31 male (39.7%), with a mean age of 53.1 years (23∼82 years). This study included 56 fingernail (61.5%) and 35 toenail lesions (38.5%). Thumbnails and great toenails were the most common site, with 62 lesions (68.1%). Most patients presented predisposing conditions, such as frequent exposure to wet conditions (55.1%), immunosuppressive conditions (26.9%), and trauma history (29.5%). The most common colors, shapes, and eccentricities of GNS were blackish-green (31.9%), reverse triangle (53.8%), and distal eccentricity (42.9%), respectively. The GNS was accompanied by various nail diseases that mostly (80.2%) preceded the syndrome, and onycholysis was the most common (83.5%). Based on the involvement of the nail surface or subsurface, GNS can be divided into the superficial (15.4%), subungual (73.6%), and mixed (11.0%) subtypes, each of which shows different clinical features, such as multiplicity, color, shape, and eccentricity.
Conclusion:This is the largest-scale study showing the clinical characteristics of GNS and can be helpful for dermatologists who usually and primarily treat GNS.
