Syphilitic Paronychia: An Unusual Complaint

To the Editor.—  Paronychia has been said to be the most frequent form of nail involvement in syphilis.^1-4 Pardo-Castello and Pardo report having seen many cases where ulcerative paronychia ". . . was the only apparent symptom of cutaneous syphilis, or at the most was accompanied by interdigital macerated papules of erosive character."⁵ However, in the 6,047 cases of syphilis observed by Bergh from 1864 to 1874, at the Copenhagen Hospital, only four cases of syphilis of the nail were observed.² Samman reports that the nail changes of syphilis are rare in England.⁶ Case reports of syphilitic paronychia are decidedly unusual.^7-9 We recently saw a young woman whose presenting complaint was painful paronychia.

Report of a Case  A 40-year-old Negro woman was examined at the University of Arkansas Dermatology Clinic in May 1971. Her chief complaint was marked pain and tenderness of her fingertips of eight weeks' duration.