| Onychauxis | |
|---|---|
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| Onychauxis | |
| Specialty | Medical genetics  |
Onychauxis presents with thickened nails without deformity, and this simple thickening may be the result of trauma,acromegaly,Darier's disease,psoriasis, orpityriasis rubra pilaris, or, in some cases, hereditary.[1]: 783 [2]
It may appear as loss of nail palate translucency, discoloration, andsubungual hyperkeratosis. Complications include pain, distalonycholysis, subungual bleeding, subungual ulceration, andonychomycosis.
Treatment includes debridement of the nail plate, urea pastes, electric drills, nail avulsion, and chemical or surgicalmatricectomy.
Onychauxis frequently shows up clinically as discoloration,subungual hyperkeratosis, and loss of nail plate translucency.[3] It may cause pain, and over time, distalonycholysis, subungual bleeding, subungual ulceration, or an elevated risk ofonychomycosis might aggravate matters.[4][5]
Growing older or having poorbiomechanics, which are more common in the elderly (e.g., toes that overlap and underlap; incompatibility between the foot and the shoe; or digiti flexi, which is characterized by contracted toes due to toe buckling caused by shortening of the controlling muscles), may be contributing factors.[3]
The recommended first treatment is periodic partial or complete debridement of the thickening nail plate. Other potential treatments that could be helpful areurea pastes with a 40% or greater concentration, electric drills, and nail avulsion. In complex situations or those with recurrences, chemical or surgicalmatricectomy may be used as a last resort to accomplish permanent ablation of the affected nail plate.[3]