Splinter hemorrhage
| Splinter hemorrhage | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Splinter hemorrhage on a fingernail of the little finger | |
| Differential diagnosis | subacute infective endocarditis, scleroderma, trichinosis, systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic nails, antiphospholipid syndrome |
Splinter hemorrhages (or haemorrhages) are tiny blood clots that tend to run vertically under the nails. Splinter hemorrhages are not specific to any particular condition, and can be associated with subacute
psoriatic nails,[1] antiphospholipid syndrome,[2]: 659 haematological malignancy, and trauma.[3] At first they are usually plum-colored
, but then darken to brown or black in a couple of days.
In certain conditions (in particular, infective clots can migrate from the affected heart valve and find their way into various parts of the body. If this happens in the finger, it can cause damage to the capillaries resulting in a splinter hemorrhage.[citation needed
]
There are a number of other causes for splinter hemorrhages. They could be due to hitting the nail (trauma), a sign of inflammation in blood vessels all around the body (systemic vasculitis), or they could be where a fragment of cholesterol has become lodged in the capillaries of the finger. Even if a patient does have infective endocarditis, roughly 1 in 10 patients have splinter hemorrhages.[4]
Additional image
See also
- Skin lesion
- List of cutaneous conditions
References
- ^ Li, Cindy (29 March 2011). "Nail Psoriasis: Overview of Nail Psoriasis". Medscape. Retrieved 7 January 2012.
- ISBN 0-07-138076-0.
- ISBN 978-1-4160-2999-1.
- PMID 23574121.