A Case of Yellow Nail Syndrome: Misdiagnosis as Congestive Heart Failure.

Bae, Byeong Joo; Kim, Hee Joung; Kim, Sun Jong; Lee, Kye Young; Kim, Won Dong; Yoo, Kwang Ha

doi:2011.71.1.46

Tuberc Respir Dis > Volume 71(1); 2011 > Article

Case Report

Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases 2011;71(1):46-49.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.4046/trd.2011.71.1.46 Published online July 1, 2011.

A Case of Yellow Nail Syndrome: Misdiagnosis as Congestive Heart Failure.

Byeong Joo Bae, Hee Joung Kim, Sun Jong Kim, Kye Young Lee, Won Dong Kim, Kwang Ha Yoo

Department of Internal Medicine, Konkuk University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea. khyou@kuh.ac.kr

Abstract

Yellow nail syndrome (YNS) is a rare disorder of unknown cause associated with yellow nails, lymphedema and respiratory manifestations. It was first described by Samman and White in 1964, and to date, approximately 150 cases have been reported. The diagnosis of YNS is essentially a clinical one and based on the presence of characteristic findings. We report a case of YNS of a 62-year-old female who presented with a 4-month history of dyspnea and recurrent pleural effusion. The patient had a 5-year history of leg swelling and dyspnea. She had been managed with medications for congestive heart failure (CHF) for two years and she was referred to our hospital for further evaluation and management.

Key Words: Yellow Nail Syndrome, Lymphedema, Pleural Effusion