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We are used to hearing the phrase that skin is a mirror of our health. However, nails can also reflect the state of the body, especially if an experienced doctor knows how to read the symptoms of the disease by changes in the nails.
Some changes in the nail plate should alert you and make you see a mycologist. We present the most common symptoms, by paying attention to which, you can diagnose the disease “in the bud” and take timely measures.
Yellow nail syndrome
A yellowish discoloration of the nail plate may indicate respiratory diseases, such as chronic bronchitis, or the presence of lymphedema of the subcutaneous tissue of the hands.
As the process progresses, the nail may lose connection with the cuticle and become detached from its bed. Although yellow nails often indicate the presence of respiratory diseases, they can also change their color due to other conditions that impair their growth.
Nail punctuation (point deformation)
Tiny indentations on the nail plate are usually found in patients suffering from psoriasis. The same changes in the nail can also be observed when it is damaged. A pinpoint lesion can lead to nail destruction.
Nail punctuation can also be caused by damage to the cuticle due to chronic dermatitis involving the fingers or alopecia areata, an autoimmune disease.
Club nails (watch glass nails)
This nail shape usually occurs when the fingertips become thick and the nails curl around the thickened fingertips. This form of fingers and nails most often develops with a chronic lack of oxygen in the blood and tissues, and is symptoms of chronic lung or heart diseases.
Another cause of watch glass nails can be chronic inflammatory bowel disease and liver damage.
Spoon-shaped nails (koilonychia)
Spoon nails, or koilonychia, are nail deformities caused by softening of the nails, in which the nails appear depressed in the center.
The central depression is usually so large that it can hold a drop of liquid. Spoon-shaped nails are usually due to iron deficiency anemia
However, if the lesion exists only on the nails of the thumbs, it may be caused by a neurosis manifested by obsessive movements of the “pill rolling” type, when the patient constantly injures the cuticle of the nail.
Terry’s nails
This is a condition in which the nails appear opaque with a dark stripe at the tip. Sometimes this picture develops in older people and does not indicate a disease, but we must not forget that Terry’s nails can be a sign of a serious pathology, including:
- Heart failure;
- Liver diseases, including cirrhosis;
- Diabetes;
- Profound eating disorders, which are possible with severe lesions of the small intestine and some mental eating disorders.
Bo lines
Beau’s lines are deep transverse grooves that cross the entire nail. This occurs when nail growth in the cuticle area is interrupted due to injury or serious illness. The most common causes of the appearance of Bo lines can be:
- Uncontrolled diabetes mellitus;
- Blood circulation disorders in peripheral arteries;
- Diseases that occur with high fever, such as severe pneumonia, measles, etc.;
- Eating disorders;
Beau’s lines usually appear 2-3 weeks after an illness such as a myocardial infarction or pneumonia.
Separating the nail from its bed
A condition called onycholysis occurs when the nails become loose and may separate from the nail bed. Most often the reason for this can be:
- Nail injury or infection;
- Thyroid diseases;
- Adverse reaction to medications;
- Reaction to the use of acrylic or other substances for nail extensions;