Although small and seemingly insignificant, your nails are handy tools developed to help you pick things up, groom your body, and defend yourself among other things. They can also tell you a bit about your health. Here are some things to look for that may be signs of various health issues. These symptoms can show up in fingernails and toenails.
COMMON
- Ridges and cracking: There are a few common underlying reasons, but it’s mostly likely due to dehydration of the nails. This can be the result of age, lack of fluids, regular contact with chemicals, or continual wet-to-dry exposure. These conditions ultimately cause the nails to weaken.
- Peeling: An injury to the nail can often cause the nail to separate and peel away all at once, in layers or in pieces. The nail will most likely heal and grow back, unless the trauma is severe.
- Thickening and dark yellow: These are typical signs of a fungus and are sometimes accompanied with flaking under the surface. This most often shows up in toenails. But what many may mistake as a sign of a fungus can simply be the result of years of pressure from tight shoes, walking, sports, and age.
- Swelling, redness, and pain: These are tell-tale sign of an ingrown nail. The most common place is on the toe. This is when the nail grows directly into the toe. That cause if often from clipping the nail in a way that interferes with the natural direction of growth. If left unchecked, it can turn into a serious infection.
- No “half moon”: If you typically have half-moons in some or all your nails and they seemingly disappear, this is a probable sign of anemia (a deficiency of red blood cells). There are many causes of anemia including blood loss, ulcers, pain relievers, menstrual bleeding, and depression.
UNCOMMON
- Yellow spots and pits: Yellowish spots that look like oil along with pits (as if created by a tiny ice pick) are a common sign psoriasis, a skin disease where the body creates an overabundance of skin cells. There may be other serious joint problems that need medical attention.
- Yellow and no growth: When all 20 nails turn yellow and stop growing, this is called yellow nail syndrome. It’s a symptom that is not well understood. But it’s a common sign of lung disease, such as bronchiectasis. It's also associated with cancer and autoimmune disorders.
- Brown streak: Nail tissue does not naturally contain pigment. A dark brown streak down the length of the nail is when pigment gets into the nail plate. The streak is a result of the slow growth of the nail. This is a common sign of melanoma, a form of skin cancer.
- Ball shape: This is a condition called clubbing. It’s when the nail curves abnormally into a spherical shape, which creates swelling and redness around the edges. There are many possible root causes, such as lung disease, heart disease, thyroid disease, or infection.
- White patches: White patches that appear near the base could be a sign of a suppressed immune system, usually associated with cancer or HIV. The patches are a fungus that settles in places that are usually protected by a healthy immune system.
