paronychia

Etiology

• bacterial
  • Streptococcus
  • Staphylococcus aureus
• fungal

Pathology

• suppurative inflammation of the nail fold surrounding the fingernail or toenail

Clinical manifestations

• painful swelling of the nail fold
• acute paronychia frequently follows minor trauma & affects only one finger
• chronic paronychia has a more insidious onset & tends to involve multiple fingers (present for at least 6 weeks)

* images

Complications

• subcutaneous abscess
• cellulitis

Management

• dicloxacillin vs cephalexin
• incision & drainage if subcutaneous abscess

More general terms

• skin appendage disease
• inflammation
• bacterial infection
• mycosis; fungal infection

Additional terms

• onychia