CYSTINE CONTENT OF FINGER NAILS IN PELLAGRA 1

Abstract

The cystine content of finger nails was determined by Sullivan''s colorimetric method in 36 normal subjects, in 40 cases of various forms and stages of pellagra, and in 25 cases of syphilis and tuberculosis. In 14 cases of pellagra with extensive dermatitis there was a marked reduction in the cystine content, average 7.26% as compared with average 10.97% in 36 normal cases. There was no appreciable change in the total protein content of the finger nails. With the subsidence of skin symptoms and improvement in the clinical condition, the cystine content returned to normal limits. In 6 cases of severe pellagra without dermatitis (involvement chiefly of the gastro-intestinal or central nervous systems) and in partially or completely cured cases of pellagra there were no marked changes in the cystine content of the finger nails. Values for cystine content of the finger nails from a group of syphilitics and from a group of tuberculous patients were found to approximate the normal range regardless of the nutritional state of the patient.