Jacinta Mendes, Nuno Vilas Boas, Sara Diogo Santos
Department of Pediatrics, Centro Hospitalar do Oeste - Caldas da Rainha, Caldas da Rainha, Portugal
Address for Correspondence: Jacinta Mendes, Serviço de Pediatria, Centro Hospitalar do Oeste, Rua Diário de Notícias, 2500-176 Caldas da Rainha, Portugal.
Email: jacintamendes@gmail.com
Keywords : Children, Longitudinal melanonychia, Melanonychia striata, Nail pigmentation
Question: A 6-year-old caucasian boy presented to a Pediatric appointment with a longitudinal and linear brown pigmentation in his right hallux fingernail (Figure 1A). The nail alteration extends from eponiquium to the free edge of the nail plate (Figure 1B). This asymptomatic alteration appeared about ten months before and had not changed in thickness, texture or pigment intensity. There were no other alterations on physical examination including in the remaining nails. The boy had a history of short stature due to growth hormone deficiency and was under growth hormone therapy since the age of four years. No prior nevus at the affected nail was observed. The child had no history of trauma, irradiation, drugs or other causes of melanocytic activation. There was no personal or family history of melanoma.
Figure 1. (A) Rigth hallux fingernail of a 6-year-old boy with longitudinal nail pigmentation. (B) Fragment of the free edge of the nail plate with a linear pigment deposition.
