What causes Mees lines on fingernails?

Mees’ lines (also known as Aldrich or Reynolds’ lines) are transverse white bands on the nail plate laid down during periods of stress. Common associations are poisioning (arsenic, thallium, fluorosis), severe infection, renal disease, cardiac failure, and malignant disease.

What do Mees lines indicate?

Mees’ Lines are a change that occurs in the color of the nail with no palpable ridges, typically described as white bands traversing the nail bed, running parallel to the lunula across the entire nail bed of the individual. This finding is indicative of arsenic [5], thallium [6], or other heavy metal poisoning.

What causes Muehrcke lines?

Muehrcke’s lines are most commonly associated with metabolic stress and chronic hypoalbuminaemia (usually < 2 g/dL), such as nephrotic syndrome, chronic liver disease, or severe malnutrition. In addition, Muehrcke’s lines have also been associated with infections, chemotherapy drugs, and high altitude.

What are Muehrcke lines?

Muehrcke lines are paired, white, transverse lines that signify an abnormality in the vascular bed of the nail. Muehrcke first described paired, narrow, white, transverse fingernail lines in a series of 65 patients with severe, chronic hypoalbuminemia.

Can stress cause Mees lines?

Just as your hair might fall out after an illness or a prolonged period of stress, your nails can also exhibit symptoms. Most frequently, stress will cause side-to-side lines to appear on your nails.

What heavy metals cause Mees lines?

Causes. Mees’ lines appear after an episode of poisoning with arsenic, thallium or other heavy metals or selenium, opioid MT-45, and can also appear if the subject is suffering from kidney failure. They have been observed in chemotherapy patients.

Are Muehrcke’s lines serious?

Muehrcke’s lines are a strong indicator of hypoalbuminemia, which can result from a variety of different causes. The lines are actually in the vascular bed underneath the nail plate.

Do Mees lines disappear?

They are typically white bands traversing the width of the nail. As the nail grows they move towards the end, and finally disappear when trimmed.

What are Merk lines on fingernails?

Muehrcke lines are multiple transverse white linear bands parallel to the lunula of the fingernail. They represent an apparent leukonychia as they result from an abnormality in the vasculature of the nail bed. This activity reviews the etiology, evaluation, and treatment of patients with this condition.

What does Mees lines look like?

Description. Mees lines are a true leukonychia with single or multiple white transverse lines running across the width of the finger and toe nails, parallel to the lunula; initially related to acute arsenic poisoning.