How to check your nails for health symptoms
Nails protect the skin of our fingertips, but it also shows some health symptoms if our bodies are not properly taken care of. You can see symptoms by its color, shape, and quality. In this article, we’ll be discussing nail health and the different symptoms your nails can tell about your body’s condition.
Nails are excessively red
- High blood pressure
Excessive red nails are also a red flag when it comes to your health. In other words, if your nails are red going to dark purple or black, it means that your body circulation is not normal. Therefore, if your nails are too red, high blood pressure, stroke or myocardial infarction should be suspected.
Nails are hollow in the center
- Iron deficiency
If the middle of the nail is sunken, it may be a symptom of iron deficiency. In severe cases, the nails would break. In this case, it is best to supplement the body’s iron by eating iron-rich foods or through taking iron supplements.
Nail color is too light
- Anemia
If your nails are pale and white, you may have anemia. If it is opaque white, it may be kidney disease. This is because if the kidneys are not good, uremic toxins accumulate in the body, anemia will follow, and the color of nails will also change due to your body’s loss of iron. The lack of oxygen in the body due to respiratory diseases causes the nails to turn white or light blue.
Nail color is yellow
- Respiratory diseases
If your nails are yellow, you may have a respiratory disease or chronic bronchitis, such as asthma. In addition, it could be Onychomycosis, caused by a fungal infection that causes the nails to turn white or yellow, and the nails become thick, twisted, or even curled.
Nail color is black
- Fungal infection or drug addiction
If your nails turn black for no reason, rather than because the blood in your nails is clotting from a bruise, you might have a fungal infection or a drug addiction. If a black vertical line appears, it may be caused by a fungal infection, medication, or nutritional deficiencies.
Nails are easily cracked or broken
- Insufficient nutrition
If your nails are easily cracked and brittle, this may be a sign of poor blood circulation or a lack of nutrients such as vitamins A, B, and protein. Even if you are on a diet, your nails can still become brittle due to a lack of protein. In addition, similar symptoms occur when suffering from hyperthyroidism, that is, excessive secretion of thyroid hormone.
Nails have horizontal lines
- Pneumonia, cold, etc.
If you have pneumonia, cold, tonsillitis or otitis media, horizontal lines may appear on your nails. If this horizontal line appears as a white band, it may indicate liver or kidney disease, severe stress, or low protein levels in the body.
Nails have vertical lines
- Vascular diseases
If you have vertical lines on your nails, you may have arteriosclerosis, vascular disease, or high blood pressure, this is very common among older people. If this vertical line is dark, close to black, it may be a melanoma-related to skin cancer, and it is best to go to the hospital to have it checked.
Nail surface is bumpy
- Arthritis
If the nail surface does not seem smooth or flat, it may be a sign of arthritis (including rheumatoid arthritis) or psoriasis (a skin disease). If the nails are not only uneven, they may also be caused by hypotension or anemia.
