Onychia is an inflammation of the

• A. Nail matrix
• B. Nail bed
• C. Lunula
• D. Cuticle

Answer: (A)

Onychia is inflammation of the nail matrix, the tissue at the base of the nail that makes the nail plate. When the matrix is irritated or infected, nail growth is disrupted, leading to changes in how the nail forms, such as thinning, irregularities, or even shedding as the nail grows out. The nail bed lies under the nail plate and inflammation there would affect the tissue supporting the nail rather than its production. The lunula is simply the visible part of the matrix at the base of the nail, not a separate inflamed structure, and the cuticle is the skin at the proximal nail fold, which is not the site implicated by onychia.