Yellow Nail Syndrome

Abstract

The yellow nail syndrome includes slowgrowing, opaque yellow nails with exaggerated lateral curvature, lymphedema, and chronic respiratory disorders such as chronic bronchitis, pleural effusions and chronic sinusitis. The nail changes may precede the lymphedema by a number of years and may persist for many years. In one reported case the yellow nails had persisted for 41 years. A case is described in which the classical yellow nails, of 11 months' duration, returned to normal within 6½ months after oral treatment with vitamin E in the form of d, α-tocopheryl acetate, 800 international units daily was begun, and with parallel improvement of an associated chronic bronchitis and chronic sinusitis.