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A long list of nail pathology accompanies rheumatoid arthritis (RA). These abnormalities vary from "deep purple arch" to onycholysis. The specificity of the findings is unknown. This prospective, case-controlled study compared nail findings in 50 consecutive patients with RA and 50 age- and gender-matched controls with stage 1 melanoma. Subjects had no other disease associated with nail changes.
Abnormalities in at least one of a patient's 20 nails were seen in all 50 RA patients and 47 controls. Clubbing on at least one nail, noted in 24 RA patients and 10 controls, showed a statistically significant association with RA, but this was only seen in isolated nails and was not a prominent clinical feature. Longitudinal ridging in at least nine …