Study of the Nail Disorder Paronychia

Bilal Ahmed, Aqlimunnisa, Afsarunnisa and Akhtar Husain Chaudhrey

Paronychia is a soft tissue infection around a fingernail. More specifically, it is a superficial infection of epithelium lateral to the nail plate that begins as cellulitis but that may progress to a definite abscess. The 2 forms of paronychia, acute and chronic, usually differ in etiology, infectious agent, and treatment and are often considered separate entities. The 2 types of paronychia are as Acute paronychia - Painful and purulent condition; most frequently caused by staphylococci; Chronic paronychia - Usually caused by a fungal infection. The acute infection, which is painful and purulent, is most frequently caused by staphylococci, although it commonly has mixed aerobic and anaerobic flora. The patient's condition and discomfort are markedly improved by a simple drainage procedure. Chronic paronychial infections are usually fungal, rather than bacterial, in nature. Paronychiais the most common hand infection in the United States, representing 35% of these disorders. The infection is more common in women than in men, with a female-to-male ratio of 3:1.