Mees' lines or Aldrich–Mees lines, also called leukonychia striata, are white lines of discoloration across the
nails of the
finger
A finger is a limb of the body and a type of digit, an organ of manipulation and sensation found in the hands of most of the Tetrapods, so also with humans and other primates. Most land vertebrates have five fingers (Pentadactyly). Chambers 1 ...
s and
toes (
leukonychia
Leukonychia (or leuconychia) is a medical term for white discoloration appearing on nails.Freedberg, et al. (2003). ''Fitzpatrick's Dermatology in General Medicine''. (6th ed.). McGraw-Hill. pp. 658–59. . It is derived from the Greek words ''l ...
).
Presentation
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.
Causes
Mees' lines appear after an episode of
poison
Poison is a chemical substance that has a detrimental effect to life. The term is used in a wide range of scientific fields and industries, where it is often specifically defined. It may also be applied colloquially or figuratively, with a broa ...
ing with
arsenic
Arsenic is a chemical element with the symbol As and atomic number 33. Arsenic occurs in many minerals, usually in combination with sulfur and metals, but also as a pure elemental crystal. Arsenic is a metalloid. It has various allotropes, bu ...
,
thallium
Thallium is a chemical element with the symbol Tl and atomic number 81. It is a gray post-transition metal that is not found free in nature. When isolated, thallium resembles tin, but discolors when exposed to air. Chemists William Crookes a ...
or other heavy metals or
selenium
Selenium is a chemical element with the symbol Se and atomic number 34. It is a nonmetal (more rarely considered a metalloid) with properties that are intermediate between the elements above and below in the periodic table, sulfur and telluriu ...
, opioid
MT-45
MT-45 (IC-6) is an opioid analgesic drug invented in the 1970s by Dainippon Pharmaceutical Co. It is chemically a 1-substituted-4-(1,2-diphenylethyl) piperazine derivative, which is structurally unrelated to most other opioid drugs. Racemic MT-4 ...
, and can also appear if the subject is suffering from
kidney failure
Kidney failure, also known as end-stage kidney disease, is a medical condition in which the kidneys can no longer adequately filter waste products from the blood, functioning at less than 15% of normal levels. Kidney failure is classified as eit ...
.
They have been observed in
chemotherapy
Chemotherapy (often abbreviated to chemo and sometimes CTX or CTx) is a type of cancer treatment that uses one or more anti-cancer drugs (chemotherapeutic agents or alkylating agents) as part of a standardized chemotherapy regimen. Chemothe ...
patients.
Eponym and history
Although the phenomenon is named after Dutch physician R. A. Mees, who described the abnormality in 1919, earlier descriptions of the same abnormality were made by Englishman E. S. Reynolds in 1901 and by American C. J. Aldrich in 1904.
See also
*
Leukonychia
Leukonychia (or leuconychia) is a medical term for white discoloration appearing on nails.Freedberg, et al. (2003). ''Fitzpatrick's Dermatology in General Medicine''. (6th ed.). McGraw-Hill. pp. 658–59. . It is derived from the Greek words ''l ...
*
List of cutaneous conditions
Many skin conditions affect the human integumentary system—the organ system covering the entire surface of the body and composed of skin, hair, nails, and related muscle and glands. The major function of this system is as a barrier agai ...
*
Muehrcke's nails
Muehrcke's nails or Muehrcke's lines ( apparent leukonychia striata) are changes in the fingernail that may be a sign of an underlying medical condition. The term refers to a set of one or more pale transverse bands extending all the way across the ...
– a similar condition, except the lines are underneath the nails and so do not move as the nail grows
References
External links
{{Eponymous medical signs for integumentary system
Conditions of the skin appendages