‘ Fingernail Colour Can Indicate State Of Health’

A medical doctor, with the
University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital (UPTH), Dr. Sunny Chinenye, says the colour and texture of fingernail can tell a lot about what is happening internally.
Dr. Chinenye, a consultant in Internal Medicine, UPTH told The Tide that “every part of the body including the fingernails has a way of reflecting what is happening internally”.
He stated that illnesses that have not yet been diagnosed can be spotted by looking at the nails, stating that it was imperative for doctors to be able to make diagnosis looking at the external features of the body.
“We doctors in the developing world, our clinical acumen helps us a lot since we don’t have sophisticated machines. We use everything we have to teach our students to recognise signs of illness looking at the nails”.
Chinenye noted the signs to look out for in certain illnesses, saying, that white or heavily mooned fingernails is an indication of anaemia which he said was fairly common particularly in children and rural dwellers, adding that it can also be an indication of heavily worm infestation.
Other diseases that can be diagnosed looking at the fingernail colour are liver diseases, gangrene or diabetes in which the fingernails are black indicating no blood supply to the nails.
He further said, the shape of the nails can also be indicative of a health condition, “when the nails become spooned, this is an indication of iron deficiency,” while Vitamin C deficiency can be seen as brittle nails.
In Beri Beri, the fingernails are also disfigured,  with fungal infections presenting as mottled or beaten fingernails, adding that bleeding under the fingernails could be indicative of leukaemia.
He warned however, that this should not be used by individuals to diagnose or treat illnesses, and advised that medical experts should always be consulted when there is a health challenge. He advised that the fingernails should always be kept clean and well nourished.

Tonye Nria-Dappa