Mees' lines

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Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]

Synonyms and keywords: Mee's lines; Aldrich-Mees' lines

Overview

Mees' lines are lines of discoloration across the nails of the fingers and toes after an episode of poisoning with arsenic or thallium or other heavy metals. They can also appear if the subject is suffering from renal failure. They are typically white bands traversing the width of the nail. As the nail grows they move towards the end, and finally disappear when trimmed.

Historical Perspective

Although the phenomenon is named after the Dutch physician R.A. Mees, earlier descriptions of the same abnormality were made by the Englishman E.S. Reynolds and the American C.J. Aldrich in 1901 and 1904, respectively.

References

• Aldrich CJ. Leuconychia striata arsenicalis transversus, with report of three cases. Am J Med Sci 1904;127:702-709.
• Hall AH. Chronic arsenic poisoning. Toxicol Lett. 2002 Mar 10;128(1-3):69-72. Review. PMID 11869818
• Mees RA. Een verschijnsel bij polyneuritis arsenicosa. Ned Tijdsch Geneeskd 1919;1:391-396.
• Reynolds ES. An account of the epidemic outbreak of arsenical poisoning occurring in beer-drinkers in the North of England and Midland Counties in 1900. Lancet 1901;1:166-70.