The appearance and texture of your fingernails can give your health care providers important clues related to your overall health. Many diseases and conditions may cause fingernail changes before other symptoms occur. If you experience a change in your nails, schedule an appointment with your doctor to rule out or diagnose conditions affecting your health.
Infections
Infections in the body can affect the fingernails. The nails themselves can become infected with yeast, fungus or bacteria. This can cause yellowing, splitting and pain in the nails. Red or brownish-red streaks of blood under the nails can be splinter hemorrhages. These are often associated with an infection of the heart or a heart valve. Onycholysis, which is when the nail separates from the nail bed, can also be caused by infection. This is characterized by areas of white discoloration.
Color Changes
Some diseases and conditions can cause the nails to change colors. Nails that are white may indicate malnutrition, heart failure, liver failure or diabetes. Blue or red nails can indicate heart or lung diseases. Nails that are half brown and half white might occur with liver disease. Some medications can also cause nail discoloration; tetracycline can turn nails yellow, and birth control pills can cause red marks under the nail.
Growth Changes
A normal part of the aging process can include nails becoming more brittle. In some cases, however, brittle nails may indicate thyroid disease, vitamin deficiencies or malnutrition. Pitted nails may be caused by psoriasis. People with iron-deficiency anemia or hemochromatosis, an overabundance of iron, may notice that their nails are taking on a spoon-like shape, called koilonychia.
Poisoning
Various poisons can cause fingernail change, and can be an important clue in diagnosing exposure to a poison. White lines and ridges can be caused by arsenic poisoning or carbon monoxide poisoning. Silver poisoning can cause blue nails.
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