Definition of whitlow
1 : an infection of the finger and especially the fingertip that is typically caused by infection of a virus (such as the herpes simplex virus) and is marked by redness, tenderness, and fluid-filled blisters
2 : 1felon 3
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Origin and Etymology of whitlow
Middle English whitflawe, whitflowe, whitlowe
First Known Use: 14th century
Medical Dictionary
whitlow
playMedical Definition of whitlow
1: an infection of the finger and especially the fingertip that is typically caused by infection of a virus (as the herpes simplex virus) and is marked by redness, tenderness, and fluid-filled blisters It is important to distinguish herpetic whitlow from bacterial felon or paronychia, as herpetic whitlow is a self-limited infection for which surgical incision is not indicated.—H. M. Feder, Jr. and S. S. Long, American Journal of Diseases of Children, September 1983
2: felon
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