TOPLINE:
METHODOLOGY:
- The single-center, observational cross-sectional pilot study evaluated patients aged ≥ 7 years with newly diagnosed nail disorders between January 2022 and May 2023.
- A total of 128 patients (average age, 46.1 years; range, 8-84 years) with nail psoriasis, onychomycosis, idiopathic/traumatic onycholysis, brittle nail syndrome, nail lichen planus, retronychia, and other nail conditions and those with no nail findings (controls) were enrolled.
- Researchers performed nailfold capillaroscopy imaging and compared capillary features between patients with nail conditions and the controls.
TAKEAWAY:
- Patients with nail psoriasis had decreased capillary density and length (P < .001), more crossed and tortuous capillaries (P < .02), and increased abnormal capillary morphology (P = .03) compared with controls. Specific abnormalities, such as branching and meandering capillaries, were more common among those with nail psoriasis (both 26.5%).
- Patients with fingernail and toenail onychomycosis had a higher frequency of abnormal capillary morphology (P < .02), particularly meandering capillaries (75.0% for fingernails and 76.9% for toenails). However, other abnormalities were less frequently observed.
- Patients with nail lichen planus (P < .01), onychopapilloma (P = .01), and retronychia (P = .03) showed significantly shorter capillaries than controls. Retronychia was also associated with increased disorganized polymorphic capillaries (P = .02).
- Patients with brittle nail syndrome and eczema showed no significant differences compared with controls.
IN PRACTICE:
“Our findings highlight nailfold capillaroscopy as a potentially quick, cost-effective, and noninvasive imaging modality as an adjunct for diagnosis and treatment initiation for patients with onychodystrophies,” the authors wrote.
SOURCE:
This study was led by Jonathan K. Hwang, MD, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York City, and was published online in The Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology.
LIMITATIONS:
The study’s limitations included a small sample size for certain nail conditions and the single-center design, which limited generalizability. Additionally, the uneven surface, scaling, onycholysis, and thickening of toenails made some capillaroscopy images difficult to capture and interpret.
DISCLOSURES:
The study did not receive any funding. One author reported serving as a consultant for Eli Lilly, Ortho-Dermatologics, BelleTorus, and Moberg Pharma.
This article was created using several editorial tools, including AI, as part of the process. Human editors reviewed this content before publication. A version of this article first appeared on Medscape.com.