They are transverse white lines distal to the cuticle, and typically laid down during a generalized illness or after a poisoning. In contrast to Muehrcke’s lines, Mees’ lines (also called Reynolds’ or Aldrich’s) are in the nail plate. Hence, they move distally with it. Differential diagnosis includes arsenic or thallium (2–3 weeks after an acute poisoning, or following chronic exposure), cancer chemotherapy, Hodgkin’s lymphoma, and other systemic disorders, such as severe cardiac or renal disease.
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