What poisons cause Mees lines?

Mees’ lines appear after an episode of poisoning with arsenic, thallium or other heavy metals or selenium, opioid MT-45, and can also appear if the subject is suffering from kidney failure. They have been observed in chemotherapy patients.

What are Mees lines?

Mees’ lines (also known as Aldrich or Reynolds’ lines) are transverse white bands on the nail plate laid down during periods of stress. Common associations are poisioning (arsenic, thallium, fluorosis), severe infection, renal disease, cardiac failure, and malignant disease.

What do fingernails look like with arsenic poisoning?

Mees’ lines (white lines in the nails) usually appear 2 to 3 weeks after acute exposure to arsenic. Encephalopathy with marked excitement followed by lethargy and signs of acute peripheral neuropathy can develop within a few hours. In patients with fatal acute poisoning, coma and death ensue within a few days.

What poison leaves lines in fingernails?

Long-term exposures to arsenic lower than toxic levels can lead to skin changes (darkening or discoloration, redness, swelling and hyperkeratosis (skin bumps that resemble corns or warts). Whitish lines (Mees’ lines) may appear in the fingernails.

What does arsenic do to your fingernails?

Since arsenic has a high affinity for keratin, the concentration of arsenic in nails is higher than in other tissues. Several weeks after exposure, transverse white striae, called Mees’ lines, may appear in the fingernails.

What does arsenic poison look like?

If arsenic poisoning occurs over a brief period of time, symptoms may include vomiting, abdominal pain, encephalopathy, and watery diarrhea that contains blood. …

Arsenic poisoning
Specialty Toxicology
Symptoms Acute: vomiting, abdominal pain, watery diarrhea Chronic: thickened skin, darker skin, cancer
Causes Arsenic

What is the cause of Mees lines?

Mees lines are associated with arsenic poisoning, Hodgkin lymphoma, carcinoid tumours and chemotherapy (i.e., cyclophosphamide, vincristine and doxorubicin). Muehrcke lines result from liver disease, nephrotic syndrome, malnutrition and severe hypoalbuminemia (less than 20 g/L).

What does white lines in your fingernails mean?

White spots or streaks are normal and nothing to worry about. Parallel white lines that extend all the way across the nails, known as Muehrcke’s lines, are a sign of low levels of protein in the blood. In contrast to Beau’s lines, they’re not grooved. They can occur as a result of liver disease or malnutrition.

What does a stripe down your fingernail mean?

A narrow black line that has formed vertically underneath your nail is called a splinter hemorrhage. It occurs for a variety of reasons and may be harmless or a sign of a more serious health condition. This condition is called a splinter hemorrhage because it may look like a wood splinter under your nail.

What are Muehrcke’s lines?

Muehrcke lines are multiple transverse white linear bands parallel to the lunula of the fingernail. They represent an apparent leukonychia as they result from an abnormality in the vasculature of the nail bed. This activity reviews the etiology, evaluation, and treatment of patients with this condition.

What is Terry’s nail?

Terry’s nails are a type of apparent leukonychia, characterized by ground glass opacification of nearly the entire nail, obliteration of the lunula, and a narrow band of normal, pink nail bed at the distal border.

Can arsenic be absorbed through the skin?

Most foods, including vegetables, fish, and seafood, contain some arsenic. Arsenic in groundwater can enter the body by drinking the water or by eating food cooked in the water. Arsenic does not evaporate into the air and is not easily absorbed through the skin.

How long does it take for arsenic to leave the body?

Both inorganic and organic forms leave your body in your urine. Most of the inorganic arsenic will be gone within several days, although some will remain in your body for several months or even longer. If you are exposed to organic arsenic, most of it will leave your body within several days.

What poison can be absorbed through the skin?

Poisons that can be absorbed through the skin come from many sources including plants, such as poison ivy, poison oak, and poison sumac; fertilizers; and pesticides.

What are Beau’s lines in nails?

Beau’s lines are indentations that run across the nails. The indentations can appear when growth at the area under the cuticle is interrupted by injury or severe illness.

What are Covid nails?

COVID nails are nail changes that happen a few days or weeks after a COVID-19 infection. They’re either a sign that the infection stressed your body, or they could be a rare symptom of the infection itself, depending on your symptoms.

Which form of arsenic is most toxic?

One of the simplest arsenic compound is the trihydride, the highly toxic, flammable, pyrophoric arsine (AsH3). This compound is generally regarded as stable, since at room temperature it decomposes only slowly.

What are the 5 signs and symptoms of poisoning?

Signs and symptoms of poisoning may include:

What are the symptoms of being slowly poisoned?

Signs of poisoning in humans

Do Muehrcke’s lines grow out?

The lines are actually in the vascular bed underneath the nail plate. As such, they do not move with nail growth, and disappear when pressure is applied to the nail (blanching the underlying nail bed): this distinguishes them from true leukonychia striata such as Mees’ lines.

Why is arsenic poisonous to humans?

Arsenic exerts its toxicity by inactivating up to 200 enzymes, especially those involved in cellular energy pathways and DNA synthesis and repair. Acute arsenic poisoning is associated initially with nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, and severe diarrhoea. Encephalopathy and peripheral neuropathy are reported.

What vitamin deficiency causes vertical lines in fingernails?

Anemia. A condition in which the red blood cells decrease usually due to deficiency of iron, vitamin B12 or folic acid is called anemia. Iron deficiency alone may be responsible for triggering skin problems. Associated effects can include brittle and fragile nails which may develop vertical ridges or lines.

What causes vertical dents in fingernails?

They are sometimes called longitudinal striations or bands. Slight vertical ridges in fingernails often develop in older adults, possibly due to a slowing of cell turnover. This is when new skin cells produced below the surface of your skin rise up to take the place of dead cells that are discarded from the surface.

What do fingernails look like with liver disease?

If the nails are mostly white with darker rims, this can indicate liver problems, such as hepatitis. In this image, you can see the fingers are also jaundiced, another sign of liver trouble.

What does a horizontal black line on your nail mean?

Another cause of black lines on the nails is a splinter hemorrhage, which occurs when blood vessels under the fingernail are damaged, often due to injuries, such as hitting. More seriously, a black line or lines on the nails can indicate the presence of melanoma, a dangerous form of skin cancer.

What are the brown lines under my nails?

Splinter hemorrhages look like thin, red to reddish-brown lines of blood under the nails. They run in the direction of nail growth. They are named splinter hemorrhages because they look like a splinter under the fingernail. The hemorrhages may be caused by tiny clots that damage the small capillaries under the nails.

How long does it take for Subungual melanoma to spread?

According to the New England Journal of Medicine, a person waits an estimated 2.2 years from the onset of their symptoms until diagnosis of subungual melanoma. However, it is important to seek proper diagnosis, as soon as symptoms become noticeable.