Fungal nail infection

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Nail infection, candidal

Nails - fungal infection; Onychomycosis; Infection - fungal - nails; Tinea unguium

• Nail changes on one or more nails (usually toenails):
  • Brittleness
  • Change in nail shape
  • Crumbling of the outside edges of the nail
  • Debris trapped under the nail
  • Loosening or lifting up of the nail
  • Loss of luster and shine
  • Thickening of the nail
  • White or yellow streaks on the side of the nail

Your doctor will suspect a fungal infection based on the appearance of the nails.

The diagnosis can be confirmed by scraping the nail and:

• Looking at it under a microscope to identify the type of fungus
• Sending it for a culture (however, it may take up to 3 weeks to get results)

Review Date: 10/04/2010
Reviewed By: Linda J. Vorvick, MD, Medical Director, MEDEX Northwest Division of Physician Assistant Studies, University of Washington School of Medicine. Also reviewed by Kevin Berman, MD, PhD, Atlanta Center for Dermatologic Disease, Atlanta, GA. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.

A.D.A.M., Inc. is accredited by URAC, also known as the American Accreditation HealthCare Commission (www.urac.org).

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