What is a paronychia? A felon?
A paronychia is an infection at the nail margin, accompanied by swelling, erythema, and tenderness
of the skin surrounding the nail. As it progresses, the infection points to the finger edge.
A felon is instead a close-space infection of the fingertip pulp, usually due to staphylococci and
gram-negative organisms. This may start as cellulitis, but eventually evolves into an abscess, with
throbbing pain, swelling, and erythema of the finger pad. Although often triggered by wooden splinters or
minor cuts (such as lancing for diabetic monitoring), felons have no history of injury in more than one half
of the cases. They may represent a paronychial spread.
A paronychia is an infection at the nail margin, accompanied by swelling, erythema, and tenderness
of the skin surrounding the nail. As it progresses, the infection points to the finger edge.
A felon is instead a close-space infection of the fingertip pulp, usually due to staphylococci and
gram-negative organisms. This may start as cellulitis, but eventually evolves into an abscess, with
throbbing pain, swelling, and erythema of the finger pad. Although often triggered by wooden splinters or
minor cuts (such as lancing for diabetic monitoring), felons have no history of injury in more than one half
of the cases. They may represent a paronychial spread.