Health Dictionary
Reliable, easy-to-read patient information on common medical conditions — written in plain language, free of jargon, and grounded in current evidence. Browse the most frequent diagnoses, understand what they mean for everyday life, and learn which steps and questions help you have a focused conversation with your doctor.
Muehrcke's lines
Introduction
Synonyms and keywords: Leukonychia striata
Overview
Overview
Muehrcke’s lines are changes in the fingernail that may be a sign of an underlying medical disorder or condition.
Causes
Causes
Common Causes
The appearance of Meuhrcke’s lines is nonspecific, but they are often associated with decreased protein synthesis, which may occur during periods of metabolic stress (e.g., after chemotherapy) and in hypoalbuminemic states such as the nephrotic syndrome.
An example of Muehrcke’s Lines in the context of chemotherapy was published in the New England Journal of Medicine in 2007. [1]
Causes by Organ System
| Cardiovascular | No underlying causes |
| Chemical / poisoning | Chemotherapy |
| Dermatologic | No underlying causes |
| Drug Side Effect | Chemotherapy |
| Ear Nose Throat | No underlying causes |
| Endocrine | No underlying causes |
| Environmental | No underlying causes |
| Gastroenterologic | No underlying causes |
| Genetic | No underlying causes |
| Hematologic | No underlying causes |
| Iatrogenic | No underlying causes |
| Infectious Disease | No underlying causes |
| Musculoskeletal / Ortho | No underlying causes |
| Neurologic | No underlying causes |
| Nutritional / Metabolic | No underlying causes |
| Obstetric/Gynecologic | No underlying causes |
| Oncologic | No underlying causes |
| Opthalmologic | No underlying causes |
| Overdose / Toxicity | Chemotherapy |
| Psychiatric | No underlying causes |
| Pulmonary | No underlying causes |
| Renal / Electrolyte | Nephrotic syndrome |
| Rheum / Immune / Allergy | No underlying causes |
| Sexual | No underlying causes |
| Trauma | No underlying causes |
| Urologic | No underlying causes |
| Miscellaneous | No underlying causes |
Causes in Alphabetical Order
Physical examination
Physical examination
Muehrcke’s lines are white lines that extend all the way across the nail and lie parallel to the lunula (half moon). In contrast to Beau’s lines, they are not grooved. The lines are actually in the vascular nail bed underneath the nail plate, and as such, they do not move with nail growth. Meuhrcke’s lines disappear when pressure is placed over the nail, blanching the underlying nail bed.
References
References
- ↑ {{cite journal | author =Morrison-Bryant M, Gradon JD | title = Muehrcke’s Lines. | journal = N Engl J Med. | volume = 357 | issue = 9 | pages = 917| year = 2007 | id = PMID 17761595 }
Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]