What Does Your Nail Say About Your Health? Warning Signs To Look Out For

What Does Your Nail Say About Your Health? Warning Signs To Look Out For

We frequently overlook our ridged, pitted, or damaged nails.

But these could be early indicators of serious illnesses like cancer, arthritis, and inflammation.

Two dermatologists were interviewed by DailyMail.com about the potentially dangerous signs found in your fingernails.

Nails may serve as a “canary in the coalmine” indicating a serious health problem, according to Dr. Shari Lipner of Cornell University in New York City.

In addition to consulting dermatologists, she advised that people self-examine their nails once a month.

Bruised nails are normally caused by injuries such as shutting your nail in a door. But in very rare cases the bruise does not disappear over time, indicating it may be cancer

Is your bruised nail a sign of cancer? 

Many of us neglect the bruises that form beneath our nails.

However, there is a very little risk that one that persists is an indication of cancer.

Subungual melanoma is the medical term for skin cancer that develops under the nails and causes a permanent black or dark-colored patch.

According to DailyMail.com, dermatologist Dr. Christine Ko of Yale School of Medicine in Connecticut said: “Usually patients remember trauma creating bruises under the nails.”

But if the color is spreading under the nail and you don’t think you did anything to the nail, that is typically a negative indicator.

Additionally, a bruise under the nail will typically also fade out as it grows, so as time goes on, you will notice your cuticle’s original color returning.

But even as time goes on, melanoma skin cancer cannot be distinguished from normal-appearing nail color.

Skin malignancies under the nail may also show up as a single, persistent black streak that runs the length of the nail. These marks can occasionally be misinterpreted by patients as a paint or ink strip.

Up to 3% of all skin cancer cases reported each year in the US are nail-related skin cancers, making them relatively uncommon.

When found early, they are highly treatable.

Red or brownish lines can also appear under nails, which dermatologists say may be warning signs of a heart infection

Red streaks could be early sign of heart infection 

Some people get red streaks on their nails, which appear as thin, brownish or reddish lines across a portion of the nail.

These are usually caused by damage to the nails, but they are still important to watch for.

The marks may be the first indicator of the potentially fatal heart ailment bacterial endocarditis, in which bacteria invade the heart valves.

According to Dr. Lipner, bleeding from the capillaries in the nail bed and minor red to brown lines in the nail can be symptoms of systemic insults, or problems that impact the entire body.

This may be the result of trauma, but it may also be an indication of bacterial endocarditis, a disorder of the heart.

‘This is an infection in the heart.

‘If left untreated, it can certainly affect the nails. It is not uncommon for the nails to be the first clue.’

When bacteria or other germs enter the bloodstream and move to the heart, an infection results.

They may then target the heart’s valves and inflame the organ’s inside lining, making the heart less effective at pumping blood throughout the body.

Even if the nail symptom could go unnoticed, the majority of patients will notice other common warning symptoms.

These include discomfort in the chest during breathing, difficulty breathing, and sore muscles and joints.

According to statistics, there are 47,000 new cases of endocarditis in the US each year.

Nail pitting, splintering or lifting could be an early warning sign of arthritis, dermatologists say. Psoriasis normally affects the skin, but in some cases can only affect nails

Pitted nails linked to arthritis   

It is frequently believed that a bacterial or fungal infection is what causes nail pitting, lifting, or splintering.

Dermatologists point out that this could occasionally be an early indicator of arthritis.

Psoriasis is a skin condition that causes dry, scaly skin and is thought to be brought on by the immune system inducing inflammation.

When psoriasis affects the nails, the percentage of persons with arthritis increases to 80%, or about 40% of those with psoriasis.

Psoriasis is an inflammatory condition that is typically associated with individuals having red plaques on their knees and elbows, according to Dr. Lipner.

People are unaware that the nails can become ill on their own, apart from the skin.

‘It is a very hard diagnosis for many physicians to make.

‘Often you will see these little indentations called pitting, lifting of the nail, crust under the nail, and splintering.

She added: ‘When you have nail psoriasis there is a great chance you also have joint disease, psoriatic arthritis that can hurt the joints, and alert you to arthritis that definitely needs to be treated properly.’

About 7.5million Americans have psoriasis.

In some cases, the nail changes can appear years before the arthritis, according to a study in the journal Reumatologia.

Ridges on nails could be a normal sign of aging, doctors say. But they could also be a sign of irritation caused by over-zealous washing

Lines? You could be washing your hands too often

Many of us become aware of lines, or vertical ridges, on our nails later in life. These lines resemble tiny, thin stripes.

In fact, according to Dr. Ko, this is one of the top reasons patients visit her clinic.

Onychorrhexis is a disorder that is a natural part of aging, but it can also be an indication of excessive hand washing or overuse of hand sanitizer.

Overwashing can dry out the skin excessively and remove beneficial oils and germs that fight infection.

Dr Ko told DailyMail.com: ‘What is happening is the nail is growing irregularly along it, so thicker in some areas and thinner in others in an undulating pattern, [causing the ridges].

Usually, it is only an age-related shift that occurs in our late 40s or so.

She did, however, add that they can also be an indication of over-washing the hands, with the ridges developing as a result of the abrasive soap irritating the nail surface.

She continued, “Using a lot of hand sanitizer gels will also make nails more brittle and cause ridges to emerge, which happened with my own.”

During the Covid pandemic, people started to wash their hands frequently and use hand sanitizers frequently out of fear of contracting the virus in pubs, restaurants, and workplaces.

Although they are still commonplace in many businesses today, overusing them could endanger hands.

Having brittle nails that crack, chip or split easily may be a warning sign of a poor diet

Brittle nails indicate a poor diet

Usually, it is only an age-related shift that occurs in our late 40s or so.

She did, however, add that they can also be an indication of over-washing the hands, with the ridges developing as a result of the abrasive soap irritating the nail surface.

She continued, “Using a lot of hand sanitizer gels will also make nails more brittle and cause ridges to emerge, which happened with my own.”

During the Covid pandemic, people started to wash their hands frequently and use hand sanitizers frequently out of fear of contracting the virus in pubs, restaurants, and workplaces.

Although they are still commonplace in many businesses today, overusing them could endanger hands.

‘I also tell them to take biotin and multivitamins if concerned, it will not harm them but will ensure they are getting enough.’

The American Osteopathic College of Dermatology (AOCD) says that brittle nails could also be a sign of a thyroid problem.

In this, the thyroid gland no longer produces enough of its hormone for the body prompting the symptoms most Americans notice, including tiredness, sensitivity to the cold, weight gain, constipation and depression.

But the drop can also lead to slower nail growth and more brittle nails, the college said.

Having clubbed nails could be a warning sign of a lung problem

Clubbed nails could indicate a lung problem

According to doctors, having clubbed nails could be a symptom that the heart or lungs aren’t functioning properly.

More blood may gather in the body’s extremities, such as the tips of the fingers, due to an oxygen shortage in the blood supply or circulatory issues.

As a result, they grow larger and develop clubbed nails, which are fingernails that curve over the sides of the digits.

The most frequent cause of clubbed fingernails, according to the Mount Sinai Health System, is lung cancer.

However, it can also be brought on by a damaged heart, pneumonia, or an abscess in the lung that affects the organ.

However, it’s likely that many Americans who have lung cancer or an infection will also experience the other symptoms.

These include a persistent cough that worsens over time, chest pain, breathlessness, and bloody coughing.

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Despite being a symptom, nail clubbing only happens in five to fifteen percent of lung cancer patients, per research published in the National Library of Medicine.

Lung cancer affects about one in 16 persons in the United States, and it claims the lives of about 130,000 people each year.