The spectrum of nail disorders seen in patients with End Stage Renal Disease Undergoing conservative treatment: A case-control study.

Objective: Various nail disorders have been reported in patients with chronic kidney disease. However, few
studies have investigated nail disorders in patients with advanced chronic kidney disease. This study focused on nail
disorders seen in patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) undergoing conservative treatment.
Methods: A case-control study was conducted at Baraha Medical City in Khartoum State, Sudan. Data on patients
with ESRD who were on conservative treatment and presented for follow-up between March and September 2021 were
collected. Patients’ demographic features, nail findings on clinical examination, and laboratory results were recorded.
The obtained data were compared with those on age- and sex-matched healthy individuals from the general population.
The chi-square test and Student t test were performed to analyze categorical and numerical variables, respectively.
Results: Data on 78 patients with ESRD were studied. Their mean age was 54.6 ± 17.6 years, and 45 (57.7%) were
men. These patients were compared with 129 controls. Nail disorders were seen in 65 (83.3%) ESRD patients and 86
(66.6%) controls (P = 0.009). Patients with ESRD were found to be at increased relative risk of developing a wide spectrum
of nail disorders. An absent lunula, half-and-half nails, nail dystrophy, Terry’s nails, onychomycosis, and koilonychia were
the most common disorders and were seen in 44 (56.4%), 13 (16.7%), 10 (12.8%), 9 (11.5%), 6 (7.7%), and 5 (6.4%)
patients, respectively. Patients with ESRD had a statistically significant risk of developing above diseases (all P < 0.05).
Conclusion: The current study demonstrated a wide spectrum of nail disorders in patients with ESRD undergoing
conservative treatment. Further studies are essential to understand their pathogenesis.