What your fingernails can reveal about your health

Nails help protect the basic skin from injury, and they also work when you want to scratch itching or peel Satsoma. But what do they reveal about your health?

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There is no lack of folk wisdom about how to collect your overall health condition from your nails, such as the wider idea that white Flexes, sometimes known as Leukonichia – are one. A sign of calcium deficiency. But do these thoughts have any reality?

First some basic anatomy. Nails are skin extension. They are Made from kerratinA super hard protein that protects your fingers and peaks from trauma. The nail -based half -moon -shaped shape is Lonola, Which acts as a “growth center” for nail, and manufactures cells that will eventually be tightened in the nail plate. It sits on top of the cutter, adds to a layer of dead cells The base of the nails in the skin. The Katical Nile provides additional protection by working as a security guard of Kitcal, preventing bacteria, cookies and other pathogens in their tracks.

While the eyes can be windows of soul, for the doctor Nails can be windows for your health. Physicians can use them to diagnose all kinds of situations, from dermatological problems to kidney disease or even automatic disorders.

“At the Medical School I learned the first thing to look for something called Clubing, where this loss of angle between nail and nail beds is,” Dan, a general practitioner and lecturer of Medicine in Neuro Sciences Boomgard says. And physiology at Bristol University.

With clutching, the nail beds are softened, and the nails are almost “float” instead of being firmly attached to the finger. The finger also looks big or bulgeing. “This causes an unusual form of swelling of the finger where the finger looks like a slight drumstick,” says Bumgard.

Klubhushan Blood is a sign of oxygen level levels. This is the most common Lung is associated with cancerBut, among other things, can also identify the lining of the lining of the heart chambers and heart valves. Other conditions where it is observed include selected disease, liver cinnamon and lung infections Among others.

“If you look at a patient with a thumb rule, he has to get an X -ray immediately, because it can be a primary lung cancer that can explain it,” says Boomgard. “Saying that although this is one of the first things we have learned in medical school. I don’t really know why, because I have been a doctor in 14 years, I’ve seen it only once,” he Says

White flakes on nail – known Leukonichia – is often designed to become a symbol of vitamins or mineral flaws. However, evidence has been found to support it. In a small study of undergraduates, there was no connection between this symbol and one The intake of any of the zinc or calcium. However, in a case of a Crown disease patient, who developed severe leukeonchia on his nails during selenium deficiency, he disappeared after treatment with the minerals.

Generally, leukonchia is more likely to be The result of the nail trauma. Stabbing your feet, trapped your nails in the door, many manicors, or falling a heavy thing on your foot can become such a sign.

However, white color on the nail can suggest a basic health problem. For example, white marks may be a sign Heavy metal poison With lead or arsenic. The nail can be white color symbol of psoriasisA chronic skin condition that causes the skin to grow, swelling, open patches. If the whole nail turns white, it can suggest a bloodstream deficiency in the stream, which can Indicate Kidney disease, liver disease or diabetes.

“If people’s blood stream decreases protein levels [often] “The whole nail causes white,” says Boomgard.

Blue nailsOn the other hand, it is a sign that the body may have oxygen deficiency. It can be a symptom of a serious heart disease or amphisema, and it is something you should check by a doctor as soon as possible. This is also the case if you see the dark lines under the nail, as if it may be due to trauma, it may also be a symbol Subungual MelanomaA rare but serious type of skin cancer.

Blood flowing down the nail – if it doesn’t do it well – more seriously can be identified. “You can find the thing we call the Slater Hemorridge, which looks like a small red lines of blood, as if you imagine a tapeter stranded under your nail,” says Boomgard. “This hemorrhage can sometimes suggest viscolitis, which is inflammation of blood vessels. The main cause can be the infection of the heart valve, which causes it a little bit of red swelling.”

Second, even more common conditions can be diagnosed by looking at nails. When checking a patient, doctors usually find changes in color, thickness and shape.

For example, the basic nail bed in healthy nail should be pink except white indicators. Other colors can identify the nail infection, or the basic condition of health.

“If you see white or yellow color on the fingers, especially on your feet, this is a sign of fungal infections,” says Holi Wilkinson, a lecturer for the utility of wounds at Hill University, “says Holly Wilkinson. Holly Wilkinson says wound healing lecturer.

Although in many countries, as We And UKYou can buy anti -over -the -counter conditions for mild nail infection, if you leave it too late, it can be more difficult to treat. (If you suspect you have a nail infection, then it is always important to consult a doctor.)

“I think that many times when people get colored in nails, they don’t realize that this is an infection, so it can reach the point where it gets worse, and then they have to go and see the podwist. Yes, “Wilkinson says.

In the meantime, the shape of the nail can also show the basic problems. Healthy toe and nails should be met, which means they are curved a bit outside. There should be no dips or citers in them. If they do, it may be a sign that you have Kyleonychia, A condition where the nail depends on the inside and looks thin and broken. In some cases, people with Quolonichia face central depression in their nail so they can hold a drop of fluid, so this condition is often called.Spoon nails“.

If any of your nails matching a spoon, it may be a Symptoms of anemiaWhen the body does not have such healthy blood cells to carry oxygen to the tissues. Anemia can be due to iron deficiency. However, it may also be a sign Silic diseaseIn addition to other conditions.

On the other hand, some changes to the nail can indicate a nutritional deficiency. Some people have horizontal paths, called The lines of the baoWho walk horizontally in their nails. It can indicate A Deduction Such as inadequate protein. However, this feature can also be a sign of diabetes and peripheral vascular disease. Decrease in blood circulation In some parts of the body, usually due to the construction of fat and cholesterol in the arteries – so it is still important to check it.

“The lines of the widow can identify zinc deficiency, while broken nails are a sign of hypothyroidism or vitamin B7,” says Mary Pierceson, a physician at a university hospital. She says, “In some cases we may be more careful about their search, for example in protecting matters where we are worried about a baby’s nutrition, or where we are suspected of chronic illness. “

In other cases, nail changes can be caused by lifestyle factors rather than precision issues. For example peeling nails, which is also known EggschiaziaThe thin layers of nails are literally separated from the nail edge and the peel. “Excessive hands wash, nail drying, nail dryness, and the use of acrylic and other nail polishs,” says Joshua Zachner, a professor of dermatology at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York.

You may be wondering what this is about nails that make them reveal a person’s basic health. One of the main reasons for this is that the nails are clearly one of the few parts of the body that you can see from the outside.

“The nails are skin expansion, effectively, and your skin can tell you about what is happening in your body,” says Boomgard. “Your first impression about the patient often starts at the edge of the bed, so you see them all and you start with their nails, you look at their eyes and their mouths. You begin to end the end of the bed, trying to select diagnostic images since then we are one of the first things.

Although most of the time changes in the nail are harmless, and only the nail injury, if you see that there is a change. Shape, color, or structure More permanent, then you should always consult a doctor’s advice.

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