Introduction
Be they bitten, picked, filed, or polished, a child's nails can generate a variety of dermatologic disorders. While fewer than 2% of visits to a pediatric dermatology clinic involve conditions concerning the nails, the complaints are often accompanied by an inordinate amount of anxiety. Among these, questions about discoloration, growths, and loss of the nail plate are the most common. Roughness or other textural changes often raise parental concern about fungal infection while pain and blisters frequently point to bacterial or viral etiologies. The basics of diseases specific to the nail in the pediatric dermatology practice, including the symptoms, diagnosis, treatment, and education of patients and families with common nail disorders, will be discussed.
Dermatology Nursing. 2010;22(1) © 2010 Jannetti Publications, Inc.
Cite this: Nail Disorders in Children - Medscape - Jan 01, 2010.
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