Nail changes in glandular disease.

Abstract

There are a number of glandular disorders that can affect the nails. A listing of the diseases and their corresponding nail changes is shown in Table 2. It is imperative to be able to discern this possible etiology from others, such as trauma and shoegear. A good clue to systemic abnormalities affecting the nails is multiple nail involvement. When a glandular disorder is the source of nail pathology, the signs are very often nonspecific. Many pathologies produce similar nail changes, and singular nail changes may be caused by different pathologies. One must use extreme caution in trying to diagnose systemic pathologies from changes observed in nails.