Yellow nail syndrome: analysis of 41 consecutive patients.
BACKGROUND
Yellow nail syndrome (YNS) is a rare condition defined by the presence of yellow nails associated with lymphedema and/or chronic respiratory manifestations. Several aspects of this disorder remain poorly defined.


METHODS
We sought to clarify the clinical features and course associated with YNS by analyzing 41 consecutive cases evaluated at a tertiary referral medical center.


RESULTS
There were 20 men and 21 women; median age at diagnosis was 61 years (range, 18 to 82 years). None had a family history of YNS. All but one patient had chronic respiratory manifestations that included pleural effusions (46%), bronchiectasis (44%), chronic sinusitis (41%), and recurrent pneumonias (22%); 26 patients (63%) had lymphedema. Treatment included rotating antibiotic therapy for bronchiectasis, thoracenteses, oral vitamin E, and corticosteroid therapy. Eight patients underwent surgical management of recurrent pleural effusions including pleurodesis and decortication; two additional patients underwent pleurodesis via tube thoracostomy. The yellow nails improved or resolved in 14 of 25 patients (56%) for whom relevant data were available. Median survival of this cohort using the Kaplan-Meier method was 132 months, significantly lower than (p = 0.01) the control population. Among those still alive (20 patients), the disease appeared stable.


CONCLUSIONS
In most cases, YNS is an acquired disorder and associated respiratory manifestations are generally manageable with a regimen of medical and surgical treatments. Yellow nails improve in about one half of patients, often without specific therapy.
Maldonado
Fabien
F
Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN. Electronic address: ryu.jay@mayo.edu.
Tazelaar
Henry D
HD
Division of Anatomic Pathology, Mayo Clinic, Scottsdale, AZ.
Wang
Chih-Wei
CW
Department of Pathology, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Taoyuan, Taiwan.
Ryu
Jay H
JH
Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN.
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008209:Lymphedema / Q000150:complications; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009260:Nail Diseases / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000628:therapy; D011379:Prognosis; D012140:Respiratory Tract Diseases / Q000150:complications; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013577:Syndrome