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Paronychia is infection of the periungual tissues. Acute paronychia causes redness, warmth, and pain along the nail margin. Diagnosis is by inspection. Treatment is with antistaphylococcal antibiotics and drainage of any pus.
Paronychia is usually acute, but chronic cases occur. In acute paronychia, the causative organisms are usually Staphylococcus aureus or streptococci and, less commonly, Pseudomonas or Proteus spp. Organisms enter through a break in the epidermis resulting from a hangnail, trauma to a nail fold, loss of the cuticle, or chronic irritation (eg, resulting from water and detergents). Biting or sucking the fingers can also predispose people to developing the infection. In toes, infection often begins at an ingrown toenail (see Nail Disorders: Ingrown Toenail).
In patients with diabetes and those with peripheral vascular disease, toe paronychia can threaten the limb.
Symptoms and Signs
Paronychia develops along the nail margin (lateral and proximal nail folds), manifesting over hours to days with pain, warmth, redness, and swelling. Pus usually develops along the nail margin and sometimes beneath the nail. Infection can spread to the fingertip pulp, causing a felon. Rarely, infection penetrates deep into the finger, sometimes causing infectious flexor tenosynovitis.
Diagnosis
Diagnosis is by inspection. Several skin conditions can cause changes that mimic paronychia and should be considered, particularly when treatment is not effective initially. These conditions include squamous cell carcinoma, proximal onychomycosis, pyogenic granuloma, pyoderma gangrenosum, and herpetic whitlow.
Treatment
Early treatment is warm compresses or soaks and an antistaphylococcal antibiotic (eg, dicloxacillin or cephalexin 250 mg po qid, clindamycin 300 mg po qid). In areas where methicillin-resistant S. aureus is common, antibiotics that are effective against this organism (eg, trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole) should be chosen based on results of local sensitivity testing. In patients with diabetes and others with peripheral vascular disease, toe paronychia should be monitored for signs of cellulitis or more severe infection (eg, extension of edema or erythema, lymphadenopathy, fever).
Fluctuant swelling or visible pus should be drained with a Freer elevator, small hemostat, or #11 scalpel blade inserted between the nail and nail fold. Skin incision is unnecessary. A thin gauze wick should be inserted for 24 to 48 h to allow drainage.
Chronic Paronychia
Chronic paronychia is recurrent or persistent nail fold inflammation, typically of the fingers.
Chronic paronychia occurs almost always in people whose hands are chronically wet (eg, dishwashers, bartenders, housekeepers), particularly if they are diabetic or immunocompromised. Candida is often present, but its role in etiology is unclear; fungal eradication does not always resolve the condition. The condition may be an irritant dermatitis with secondary fungal colonization.
The nail fold is painful and red as in acute paronychia, but there is almost never pus accumulation. Eventually, there is loss of the cuticle and separation of the nail fold from the nail plate. This forms a space that allows entry of irritants and microorganisms. The nail becomes distorted.
Diagnosis is clinical.
Treatment
Primary treatment is to keep the hands dry and to assist the cuticle in reforming to close the space between the nail fold and nail plate. Gloves or barrier creams are used if water contact is necessary. Topical drugs that may help include corticosteroids and, for their corticosteroid-sparing effects, immunosuppressants (eg, tacrolimus). Antifungal treatments are helpful only in reducing colonizing fungal organisms. Thymol 3% in ethanol applied several times a day to the space left by loss of cuticle aids in keeping this space dry and free of microorganisms. If there is no response to therapy, squamous cell carcinoma should be considered and a biopsy should be done.
Last full review/revision October 2009 by Wingfield E. Rehmus, MD, MPH
Content last modified October 2009
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