9 Nail Problems That Might Be Signaling Something Serious About Your Health
Take a look at your hands and see where you stand
Your eyes may offer a glimpse of your soul—but for a view of your internal organs, check your fingers and toes instead.
“Your nails can tell a tremendous amount of information about your general health,” says Dana Stern, M.D., a dermatologist and nail specialist in New York City. “Certain nail changes can indicate issues with the kidneys, infections of the heart, anemia, lung disease, and even exposure to certain poisons.”
That’s because diseases that affect your whole body can change the blood flow, growth patterns, or shape of your fingernails and toenails in ways you may notice long before any other symptoms, says Chris Adigun, M.D., a board certified dermatologist and nail specialist in Chapel Hill, N.C.
So if you spy something new or unusual on the ends of your digits, check in with your primary care doctor or a dermatologist, she advises. Treating the underlying condition often can save your nails—and maybe even your life.
1. Koilonychia or “spoon nails"
Iron deficiency in men can signal some kind of gastrointestinal bleeding, so a workup may be necessary. According to a 2013 study from Israel, 62 percent of guys under 40 with iron deficiency anemia were found to have significant GI lesions like stomach ulcers, hemorrhoids, or inflammatory bowel disease. (But if you donate blood regularly, this might be The Supplement You Need to Boost Recovery.)
Spoon nails can also occur in people with heart disease, thyroid problems, or the autoimmune disease lupus.
Image by coreyheitzmd from Flickr
2. Clubbed nails
(Help yourself breathe better with the Diet You Need for Healthy Lungs.)
Doctors aren’t sure how the two are linked, but suspect that low blood oxygen levels change the shape of the fingertip, affecting the way the nail grows. Other possible causes include heart disease, inflammatory bowel disease, and even HIV/AIDS, Dr. D’Angelantonio says.
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3. Splinter hemorrhages
Sometimes you’ll see these long, black, splinter-like lines after you smash your hand in the door or stub your toe. But if you haven’t hurt yourself lately, they could mean you have bacterial endocarditis, an infection of the valves and inner lining of the heart, Dr. Stern says. The condition often occurs after a dental or medical procedure and requires antibiotics.
Jam your finger? Here’s Why It Might Be a Much More Serious Injury.
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4. Pitting
Small depressions—almost like a tiny climber took an icepick to your nails—serve as signs of the chronic skin disease psoriasis. This condition also produces silvery or red scaly, itchy patches on your elbows, knees, and other parts of your body.
Treatment may include creams, medicine, and light therapy, and it’s essential—people whose psoriasis shows up in their nails have a greater risk of more serious health consequences, including a painful joint inflammation called psoriatic arthritis, Dr. Adigun says.
(Worried about your feet, not your hands? Here’s How to Treat Toenail Fungus.)
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5. Warts
(Find out how Your Age Can Make You More Vulnerable to HPV.)
Don’t try to zap warts on the tips of your fingers and toes yourself, she advises. Our body creates a zone of “immune privilege” in these areas, ramping down the immune response so its disease-fighting defenses don’t destroy the dead cells that make up your nails.
This makes it harder for infection-fighting treatments to work in this area, so over-the-counter options or home remedies like duct tape aren’t strong enough. Instead, see a dermatologist for treatment and to check for squamous cell carcinoma, or HPV-associated skin cancer in your fingertips.
Image from Shutterstock
6. Beau’s lines
They’re not harmful and will grow out as your nails do. Still, you should have them evaluated, because uncontrolled diabetes or circulation problems can also produce this halt in growth, Dr. D’Angelantonio says.
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7. Onycholysis
Treatment with medications or surgery can bring your nails back into balance, though your nails may never return to normal, Dr. D’Angelantonio says.
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8. Fungal nail infections
Though fungal infections usually don’t spread to your bloodstream, they can serve as a sign of another disease. For instance, high blood sugar from uncontrolled diabetes makes the damp, moist environment in your shoes and socks an even more hospitable environment for an infestation, Dr. D’Angelantonio says.
(Are you giving yourself diabetes? Find out the Surprising Habits that Raise Your Diabetes Risk.)
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9. White spots
If, however, the spot does fade, it’s more likely to be a sign of a bigger health problem. Different shapes of white spots point to different underlying issues. For instance, “Terry’s lines”—where almost the whole nail is white except for a red strip at the end—often point to liver problems. Your doctor will likely test your blood for hypoalbuminuria, or low levels of the protein albumin in the blood that occur when your liver isn’t working properly, Dr. Adigun says. Meanwhile, half-white, half-red nails are called “Lindsay’s nails” and can signal kidney disease.
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