Case Report
Copyright ©The Author(s) 2025. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Clin Cases. Jun 26, 2025; 13(18): 102194
Published online Jun 26, 2025. doi: 10.12998/wjcc.v13.i18.102194
Misdiagnosis of psoriatic arthritis in a patient with paronychia confirmed by dermatological examination: A case report
Angelo Nigro
Angelo Nigro, Department of Rheumatology of Lucania, UOSD of Rheumatology, "Madonna delle Grazie" Hospital, Matera 75100, Basilicata, Italy
Author contributions: Nigro A is the sole author of this manuscript. He was responsible for the conception, design, analysis, and interpretation of the data. He also drafted and critically revised the manuscript, ensuring the accuracy and integrity of all aspects of the work.
Informed consent statement: Written informed consent was obtained from the patient (or their legal guardian, if applicable) for the publication of this case report, including all accompanying images and clinical information. Every effort was made to ensure the patient's anonymity and confidentiality.
Conflict-of-interest statement: The author, Angelo Nigro, declares no conflicts of interest related to the publication of this manuscript. No financial, personal, or professional relationships that could be perceived to influence the content of this work exist.
CARE Checklist (2016) statement: The authors have read the CARE Checklist (2016), and the manuscript was prepared and revised according to the CARE Checklist (2016).
Open Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Angelo Nigro, MD, Chief Physician, Department of Rheumatology of Lucania, UOSD of Rheumatology, "Madonna delle Grazie" Hospital, Via Cattedra Ambulante, Matera 75100, Basilicata, Italy. angelonigro13@gmail.com
Received: October 11, 2024
Revised: December 11, 2024
Accepted: February 18, 2025
Published online: June 26, 2025
Processing time: 138 Days and 22.6 Hours
Core Tip

Core Tip: This case report emphasizes the importance of a multidisciplinary approach in distinguishing localized conditions, such as paronychia, from systemic inflammatory diseases like psoriatic arthritis. Misdiagnosis based on imaging findings, such as enthesitis with positive Doppler signal, can lead to unnecessary systemic treatments with potential adverse effects. A comprehensive clinical evaluation, including dermatological expertise, revealed paronychia as the underlying condition in a patient initially misdiagnosed with psoriatic arthritis. Timely antimicrobial therapy resolved the symptoms, highlighting the critical role of integrating clinical, imaging, and laboratory findings to avoid diagnostic errors and optimize patient outcomes.