Signs of sickness at your fingertips

By Dr Monda Ang’awa

If you think your dry, brittle nails are simply an irritating beauty problem, think again. This could be a symptom of a disease.

Some of your body’s early warning signs that there are problems with your health can be seen in your nails. Your nails say a lot about your overall health.

A discolouration in one or several nails with a lifting of the end of the nail away from the nail bed and a thickening of the nail bed may indicate a fungal infection.

Calcium deficiency

A bacterial infection will cause pain, redness and swelling around the affected nail. Harsh detergents, over-use of nail polish remover, nail biting, poor circulation, a bout of serious illness, a very low fat diet or acrylic nails make the nails thin, flaky, dry or brittle.

White spots are thought to be a sign of calcium deficiency and a skin disease like psoriasis causes ridged nails.

Thick, slow growing yellow or green nails raise a red flag and could indicate that you have chronic bronchitis, kidney disease, thyroid problems or rheumatoid arthritis. Nails can also become yellow from dark-coloured nail polish and smoking. If your fingernails are blue all the time, it can mean you have problems with your blood circulation.

Low oxygen levels in your blood due to lung or heart disease are to blame for clubbed fingernails when the tips curve down and around your fingertips. Spoon shaped nails are a sign of serious iron deficiency.

Severe illnesses, including malnutrition, that cause the nail to stop growing will give you grooves across your nails.

Most of the nail bed turns white in people with diseases of the liver, diabetes and chronic renal failure. Aging can also cause white nail beds.

Narrow, red to reddish-brown lines of blood beneath the nails are known as splinter haemorrhages and are frequently due to injury, psoriasis, a fungal infection, a heart-valve infection or a collagen disease such as lupus. A dark brown or black streak in one nail could be a sign of melanoma, a potentially deadly skin cancer, which is often overlooked.

If you have a persistent nail problem, see your doctor to separate the meaningful from the meaningless.

Hints for healthy nails

Always wear lined rubber gloves to do household chores.

Keep jars of hand cream handy — in your bag, by your bed, on your desk and in the car — and use regularly to keep your nails supple.

Use a tooth whitening treatment to remove stains on nails.

Gently push cuticles back with a face cloth after a bath.

Always use a strengthening base coat and if nail varnish chips during the week, instead of taking it off, simply add another layer.

Limit the use of nail polish removers to less than once a week because they contain acetone, which dries out the nails.

Don’t peel or pick off polish because it scrapes off the upper protective layer of the nails, making them more vulnerable to infection.

Trim your toenails straight across and slightly rounded at the tips. Toenails that are too long catch on your hosiery or shoes giving fungus a chance to get under the nail.

Emery boards are best for filing away rough spots and keeping nails at the length you prefer.

Buff nails regularly to improve circulation and make varnish slip on much more smoothly.

Eat a balanced diet and drink plenty of pure water.

— drbrigidmonda@gmail.com