We report a case of a 74-year-old woman exhibiting the yellow nail syndrome in association with ipsilateral xanthogranulomatous pyelonephritis. Nephrectomy resulted in complete resolution of the pleural effusion and slow improvement of the yellow nails. This report calls attention to the renal-related pleural effusion, and to the thorough investigation needed for the yellow nail syndrome.

Changes in the human nail frequently serve as an indicator of local and systemic disease. Alterations in the morphology, structure and growth characteristics of the nail accompany chronic cigarette smoking; yellow pigmentation of the nail plate--referred to as the "nicotine sign"--is common. The clubbed yellow nail may indicate the presence of lung cancer. In contrast to the ominous nature of t...

Yellow nail syndrome is a rare disorder characterized by three main features: discoloration of the nails, together with dystrophic alterations; lymphedema; and pleural effusion. It is often accompanied by bronchiectasis and chronic rhinosinusitis. Herein, we report a case of the complete syndrome with bilateral pleural effusion in a patient under treatment for pulmonary tuberculosis for nine mo...

A 74-year-old man had typical yellow nail syndrome, associated with pericardial effusion and hyperimmunoglobulinemia (IgG 3,179 mg/dl, IgM 402 mg/dl). A search of the literature fails to reveal a previously reported case of yellow nail syndrome associated with pericardial effusion.

A 40 year old man, the son of nonconsanguineous healthy parents of Arab extraction, was hospitalized in our department because of left leg cellulitis. His medical history included bronchiectasis complicated by recurrent respiratory tract infections that necessitated lobectomy at age 20. Since adolescence he had suffered from swollen feet with recurrent leg cellulitis. The patient also displayed...

PURPOSE OF REVIEW The yellow nail syndrome (YNS) is a rare disorder of unknown cause characterized by the triad of yellow and thickened nails, lymphedema and respiratory manifestations. We review the current state of knowledge, particularly regarding the diagnosis and management of this disorder. RECENT FINDINGS Available data suggest acquired lymphatic dysfunction to be the predominant mecha...