Nail Disorders in Patients With Chronic Renal Failure Undergoing Peritoneal Dialysis

Background: Nail disorders are common in patients with end-stage renal diseases. Even though there are some studies regarding the nail disorders in hemodialysis and renal transplant patients, to the best of our knowledge, no studies are present in the area of the nail disorders in the peritoneal dialysis patients. The purpose of this study was to investigate the frequencies of nail disorders in chronic renal failure (CRF) patients treated by peritoneal dialysis (PD). Material and Methods: The study group consisted of 61 CRF patients treated by PD and 61 healthy individuals were used as controls. The findings of nail examinations of patient and control groups were assessed. Results: Both the study and the control groups consisted of 37 (61%) males and 24 (39%) females each. T he most frequently observed nail disorders in patients were absent lunula (61%), vertical stripes (48.8%) and onychomycosis (26.8%). Significantly increased frequencies of absent lunula, vertical stripes, onychomycosis, color changes and pitting were determined in patients (P < 0.05). Conclusion: The frequency of nail disorders in CRF patients treated by PD is increased. This finding emphasizes the significance of nail assessment as part of physical examination in PD patients. World J Nephrol Urol. 2014;3(1):30-34 doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.14740/wjnu156e