What Your Nails Say About Your Health
Our nails are for protection and also help us to grip objects or hold onto surfaces. Imagine how many injuries we would have if it were not for our nails...but nails also reveal a lot about the body's internal health.
Nails consist of a relatively flexible, keratinous nail plate originating from the nail matrix. Under the nail plate there is a soft tissue called the nail bed. Between the skin and nail plate there is a nail fold called the cuticle.
A normal, healthy nail is slightly pink in colour and the surface is convex from side to side. Finger nails grow 1 cm in three months and toe nails take 24 months to obtain the same growth
The importance of nails in disease diagnosis:
The colour, appearance, shape and texture of the nails give some information about the general health and hygiene of a person. Nails are examined as a routine by all doctors to get some clues about underlying diseases. Just by looking at the fingernails, the hygiene of a person becomes clear.
Abnormal nails may be congenital or due to some diseases. The cause for changes in the nail extend from simple reasons to life threatening diseases. Therefore, learning to 'read your health' by looking at your nails is a good practice to take up. A doctor should always examine your nails when you visit. Here's what to look out for:
1) Hygiene:
Don't play with your health. We all know how esssential it is to wash the hands and even carry antibacterials in our bags but dirt and pathogens lurking under the nails can undo the purpose of handwashing.
If there are pathogens under the nail, they will be transmitted to wherever you touch and worse onto your food. Ingesting pathogens often result in worm infestations in children. This creates a vicious cycle as kids suffer from anal itching and scratch the area. This will also be ingested if nail hygiene is not up to the proper standards. Prominent nails can also complicate a skin disease by habitual scratching. Infections are introduced into the skin making the problem worse.
Pink equals Healthy- Your nails should have a healthy pink colour (light to medium).
White- Opaque, white discolouration of the nails (leuconychia) is seen in chronic renal failure and nephrotic syndrome. Whitening of the nails is also seen in hypoalbuminaemia reflecting cirrhosis and kidney disorders. Be aware however, if you are on medication, that drugs such as the sulpha group, anti malarial and antibiotics can produce discolouration in the nails.
| White, Yellow, Black and Blue -
Fungal infections can cause a white, yellow and black discolouration of
the nails. If you suspect your nails maight be infected, go and see a
doctor. When the blood supply decreases, nails also become yellow. In
jaundice and psoriasis nails also become yellowish. Yellow Nail
Syndrome is a condition in which nails turn yellow due to pleural
effusion. A pseudomonas infection of nails can cause them to turn
either black or green! Nails also turn black or blue if they have
suffered a blunt trauma injury. Red dots seen in nails are due to splinter haemorrhages in sub-acute bacterial endocarditis (infectious heart disease), rheumatoid arthritis, trauma and collagen vascular diseases. Brown - Nails become brown when there is kidney disease and decreased adrenal activity. Blue semi circle - In Wilson's disease, a blue semi circle colour appears in the nail. 3) The Shape of Nails: Clubbing: Here tissues at the base of nails are thickened and the angle between the nail base and the skin is obliterated. The nail becomes more convex and the finger tip becomes bulbous and looks like an end of a drumstick. When the condition becomes worse the nail looks like a parrot beak. Causes of clubbing are: Congenital injuries, severe chronic cyanosis, lung diseases like empysema, bronchiactesis, carcinoma of the bronchial tubes and pulmonary tuberculosis. Clubbing also occurs from abdominal diseases like Crohn's disease, polyposis of the colon, ulcerative colitis and liver cirrhosis etc., and heart diseases like Fallot's Tetralogy and sub-acute bacterial endocarditis. Koilonychia - Here the nails become concave like a spoon.This condition is seen in iron deficiency anaemia. In this condition the nails become thin, soft and brittle. The normal convexity will be replaced by concavity. Longitudinal ridging is seen in Raynaud's disease. Cuticles become ragged in dermatomyositis. |
Nail fold telangiectasia is a sign in dermatomyositis, systemic sclerosis and SLE.
4) Structure and Consistancy:
- Fungal infectios in nails cause discolouration, deformity, hypertrophy and abnormal brittleness.
- Thimble pitting of nails is charecteristic of psoriasis, acute eczema and alopecia aereata.
- The inflamation of a nail cuticle or fold is called paronychia.
- Onycholysis is the seperation of the nail bed seen in psoriasis, in infections and after taking tetracyclines.
- The destruction of nails is seen in lichen planus and epidermolysis bullosa.
- Portions or complete missing nails are seen in nail patella syndrome which is a hereditary disease.
- Nails become brittle in Raynauds disease and in many cases of gangrene.
- The falling off of nails are often due to fungal infections, psoriasis and thyroid diseases.
- Nail bed infarction occurs in vasculitis especially in SLE and polyarteritis
5) Growth:
Reduction in blood supply affects the growth of nails. Nail growth is also affected in severe ilness. When the causative disease is treated or cured a formation of transverse ridges may occur. These lines are called Beau's lines and are helpful to date the onset of illness.
General Causes of Nail Discoloration Are:
Atopic dermatits
Diabetes
Fungal Nails
Ingrown Toenails
Jaundice
Lichen Planus
Psoriasis
Bacterial Infections
Candidiasis
Yellow Nail Syndrome
Onycholysis
Senile Ishaemia
Drug Hypersensitivity
Malnutrition
Chronic Lung Disease
Liver Disease
Heart Disease
Kidney Disease
Trauma
Staining from nail varnish or cosmetic products
Tobacco use
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