Clinical Observation and Follow-Up of Subungual Splinter Hemorrhages of Toenails in Chinese Adults.

Background: Subungual splinter hemorrhage (SSH) is a common nail disorder and is difficult to differentiate from other nail diseases because of their similar characteristics. The epidemiological study of SSH is lacking and it is unclear whether SSH needs treatment or not. Aims: The aims of this study were to observe the clinical characteristics of SSH of toenails in Chinese adults and to provide a reference for the diagnosis and prognosis of patients with SSH. Materials and Methods: We collected and followed up 63 SSH patients who were diagnosed through dermoscopic examination. The clinical and dermoscopic characteristics, disease course, and recovery results were recorded. Data sets were analyzed through the use of SPSS 16.0. Literature concerning SSH were reviewed and compared with the results in this study. Results: Sixty-three SSH patients were included with an age range of 17-58 years. Nearly 93.7% of SSH patients occurred in the right, left, or right and left first toenails; 66.7% of SSH patients occurred only in one toenail; there were 60.3% of SSH patients with a clear stimulus causing it and 31.8% of SSH patients with five types of comorbidities. The common characteristics of dermoscopy showed a reddish brown or brown stain with a clear boundary visible under the nail in which the color gradually faded outward from the center, with no blue or white structure. After following up for 24 weeks, the disappearance of hemorrhage was observed in 95.2% of SSH patients. For the recovered SSH patients, data analysis showed no significant difference in the course of SSH in males and females (P = 0.645); the statistical analysis showed that there was no significant correlation (r2 = -0.002) between age and course in recovered SSH patients (P = 0.986). Conclusions: It is unnecessary to do any special treatment during the 1st year. Measures ought to be taken for SSH patients if the course of the disease exceeds more than 1 year.