8 Symptoms In The Nails And Their Impact In Health
Nails protect our fingers and toes with its hard outer surface. Nails often reflect our general state of health. Any small change in the nail, like discoloration or hardening indicates nothing but health issues. Let us see few of them in detail.
1. White Spots
These white spots in fingernails are called “leukonychia”. This may also be a sign of some past injury to the matrix (base) of your nails. White fingernail spots also can be a sign of an allergic reaction to nail polish or nail cosmetics.
2. Yellow Nails
The common cause of yellow nails is a fungal infection. As the infection worsens, the nail bed may retract, and nails may harden and crumble. In rare cases, yellow nails can indicate a more serious condition such as severe thyroid disease, lung disease, diabetes or psoriasis.
3. Dry, Cracked or Brittle Nails
Sometimes you may feel that your nails are getting dried and fragile. The reson for dry/cracked or brittle nails is either fungal infection or thyroid disease, particularly hypothyroidism. Brittle nails may also be due to a deficiency in vitamins A,B or C.
4. Horizontal Ridges
Horizontal ridges may also be due to trauma or a serious illness with a high fever. These horizontal ridges, also known as Beau's lines. In due course this line causes grooves in the surface of the nail plate. They first appear at the lunula and then progress with the growth of the nail. In cases where the ridges are not caused by a systemic illness or congenital disease, Beau's lines will grow out with the nail and disappear.
5. Vertical Ridges
Vertical ridges are typically a normal sign of aging and are not a cause for concern. Many people notice an increase in vertical ridges of the fingernails as they age, and this can be a normal development.
6. Spoon Nails
Nails that curve upward at the edges, taking on a spoon-like appearance, may be a sign of iron-deficiency anemia, hemochromatosis (excess iron absorption), heart disease, or hypothyroidism.
7. Pitting
Pitting of nails is a sign of psoriasis. Nail pitting may also be due to connective tissue disorders (including Reiter's syndrome) or alopecia areata, an autoimmune disease that causes hair loss.
8. Discolorations
Black streaks or painful growths on your nail deserves an immediate consultation of your physician, as they may be due to melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer.
