You can tell a lot by looking at someone’s nails. Everyone’s nails look different
and whilst this blog looks at what certain nail abnormalities could possibly mean,
please keep in mind that it could also be absolutely nothing , it could just be
how your nails look.
The point of this article is not to scare you but to make you aware of how much
goes on in the foot health practitioner’s mind when they see you for the first
time and how important the discussion around your medication and medical
history is.
Below some of the most common nail abnormalities that are seen:
- Nail clubbing. It could be a sign of an underlying lung and heart
problems. - Onychomycosis – or fungal nail – this could be very difficult to
treat and could take several months to years for it to fully resolve. - Pseudomonas aeruginosa – easily mistaken for fungal nail. It is a
bacterial infection looking a bit green. - Anolunula. Lunula is the white, half-moon shaped area seen in
proximal ends of some nails. Anolunula means the absence of the lunula. Absence
of the lunula in the thumb could potentially mean malnutrition or iron
deficiency. A pale blue lunula could mean diabetes. A red colour could
potentially be an underlying cardiovascular disease. - Yellow nails syndrome Could be an indication of lymphoedema, or
lung disease, it could also be indicative of diabetes amongst many other
things. - Koilonychia or spoon shaped nails could be an indication of iron
deficiency, diabetes or protein deficiency, it could also indicate Raynaud’s
disease or exposure to certain chemicals. - Lindsay Nails (half and half nails) The part closest to the finger
is white and the rest is red/pink/brown. This could be indicative of various
things such as Crohn’s disease, Kawasaki disease and various other. - Terry Nails Looks almost and can easily be confused with Lindsay
nails. It has a similar appearance with 80% of the part closest to the finger
is whiter and the rest is a normal pink. Potential underlying causes could be
hepatic disease, diabetes, hyperthyroidism likewise it could just be normal
aging - Lines of the nails. Vertical lines could be an indication of
certain medications, melanoma, Addison disease or trauma. Mees lines – these
are white transverse line (horizontal lines) any acute illness such as heavy
metal toxicity, arsenic poisoning, chemotherapy, carbon monoxide poisoning,
Hodgkin’s disease, malaria or leprosy. Horizontal lines – also known as Beau’s
lines could be a sign of chemotherapy, nails trauma or even zinc deficiency. - Onychorrhexis. There are vertical ridges (not lines) on the nail.
This could be due to old age but it could also be a sign of rheumatoid
arthritis, lichen planus or even cardiovascular disease. - Splinter haemorrhage. Looks like little back dots or lines. This
could be due to simple trauma or it could be a sign of fungal nail. It could
also be bacterial endocarditis, psoriasis or even renal failure. - Pitting of the nails. Normally is present when a patient suffers
from psoriasis but it could also be present in patients with alopecia areata,
eczema, reactive arthritis or lichen planus. - Nail Melanoma – a fairly rare condition.
- Nail tuft It is a vascular dermal protrusion beneath a nail. This
is actually a very common occurrence in especially older people. - Tuberous sclerosis complex This is a genetic disorder that caused
benign tumours to grow in various parts of the body. - Onychoptosis Is the periodic shedding and falling of one or more nails, in whole
or part. It can be seen after fever, trauma, adverse reaction
to medications, and in systemic illnesses including syphilis (syphilitic
onychia) - Onychia Is the term applied to an infection of the soft parts
around the nail or of the matrix beneath it. - OnychoschiziaBrittle nails are usually caused by repeated wetting and drying of
your fingernails, so you should use gloves when getting your hands wet, such as
when doing dishes.In some cases, brittle nails might also be a sign of
hypothyroidism or even iron deficiency.
I am pretty sure that after reading all of the above you have inspected your
finger and toe nails and may have noticed a few things and are probably saying to yourself “ Oh no !
Is this x, y. or z !” Please don’t worry. Even FHP’s sometimes have to approach
a podiatrist for a second opinion and more often that not , what you see is
absolutely nothing. But why not book in your session with me so a professional can
have a look and advice you accordingly. Email me : contactme@dessiefhp.com or send me a WhatsApp on (+44)07856577897
References:
1.Gahalaut P, Mishra N, Chauhan S, Ali MM, Rastogi MK, Thakur R.
Anolunula in Fingernails among Patients Infected with HIV. ISRN Dermatol. 2014
Feb 23;2014:271230. doi: 10.1155/2014/271230. PMID: 24701356; PMCID:
PMC3950909.
3.https://www.dictionary.com/browse/onychia
4.Al-Awwad AA, Abdelmaksoud O, Albirini A. Onychoptosis: A forgotten
sign in syphilis infection. Avicenna J Med. 2020 Jul 3;10(3):122-124. doi:
10.4103/ajm.ajm_215_19. PMID: 32832429; PMCID: PMC7414600.https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32832429/#:~:text=Onychoptosis%20is%20the%20periodic%20shedding,including%20syphilis%20(syphilitic%20onychia).https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32832429/#:~:text=Onychoptosis%20is%20the%20periodic%20shedding,including%20syphilis%20(syphilitic%20onychia).
5.https://www.healthline.com/health/beauty-skin-care/healthy-nails#texture