Nails- Importance in diagnosis

Nails- Importance in diagnosis


Our nails are a sign of our health. The colour shape, contour of our nails can tell us if our body is in a healthy state.



Nail disorders
Changes in nail are generally not diagnostic of a specific systemic or skin disease .all of the nail changes of systemic disorders may be seen without systemic disease.
Examination of nails helps us sometimes to diagnose a case clinically. Simultaneously we should not forget the value of study of nail changes in Homoeopathic practice





Different nail abnormalities Associated conditions


Platynychia (flat nails) Iron deficiency anemia

Koilonychia (spoon shaped nails) Iron deficiency anemia

Leuconychia (white nails) congenital or acquired
Hypoalbuminemea,
Nephrotic Syndrome
Chronic liver disease
Protein loosing enteropathy.

Onycholysis (Separation of nail from bed) Lichen planus, thyrotoxicosis Psoriasis.

Missing nail Nail patella syndrome.

Half & Half nail Proximal half- white and distal half

pink or red seen in chronic renal failure

Beau’s line
(Transverse ridges over the nails) Indicates stoppage of nail Growth temporarily. Affects all nails and appear after few week of illness. As the nail growth ridges also move to the distal part.


Mee’s line single or multiple which transverse bands on the nail- inorganic arsenic poisoning


Muehrcke’s line Narrow, white transverse bands occurring in pairs - associated with hypoalbuminaemia, they may disappear when serum albumin level is normalized

Longitudinal ridges Seen in lichen plannus and rheumatoid arthritis.

Nail bed infarct Vasculitis syndromes

Pitted Nails Psoriasis, Alopecia, eczema, ring worm infestation.


Blue Seen in cyanosis, antimalarial drugs, haematoma

Blue green In pseudomonas infection in chronic paronychia


Brown longitudinal streaks In fungal infections, staining from cigarettes

Red streaks
(Splinter hemorrhages) Infective endocarditis, trauma.

Yellow In psoriasis, fungal infections, trauma, jaundice,

* Clubbing Bulbous enlargements of distal segments of fingers and toes.

Causes;
a) Cardiovascular:
Acquired --- infective endocarditis.
Congenital---cyanotic congenital heart disease.
b) Respiratory;
-Brochiectasis
- Lung abscess.
-Bronchogenic carcinoma.
-Tuberculosis with secondary infection.
-Empyema
-Interstitial lung disease

c) Gastrointestinal;
-ulcerative colitis,
-Crohns’disease.
-Malabsorbtion syndrome.
d) Hepatic
-cirrhosis of liver.
e) Endocrine;
-Myxedema.
- Acromegaly.
-Thyroid acropachy,

f) Congenital & idiopathic clubbing.
















Homoeopathic drugs according to the Nail colour, changes.
 Discoloration, Nails _ Ant. c, Ars, Graph, Nit.ac, Thuja.
Black - Ars, Graph, Lept, Nat-m.
Blood, settles under Nails _ Apis.
Blueness _ Arg.n, Ars, Aur, camph, Carb.v, Chel,Chin, chin.s, Cupr, Dig, Dros, Ferr, Graph, Mez,
Nat.m, Nit.a, Nux.v, Ox.ac, Pet, Sil, Sulph,Thuja, Verat.
Dark _ Morp, Ox.ac,
Gray _ Mer.c, Sil,
Purple _ Apis, Ars, Op, samb, sec, stram,
Red _ Ars, Crot.c, Lith,
-Then black - Ars.
White - Cup, Nit.ac.
-Spots - Alum, Ars, Nit.ac, Sep, Sil, sulph,
Yellow - Ambr, Bry, Carbo.v, Con, Lyco, mer Nit.ac, Nux.v. Op, Sep, Sil, Sipg, Sulp,

 Cracked Nails - Ant.c, Ars, Nat.m, Sil,
 Curved finger Nails - Nit.ac.
 Distorted, Nails - Alum, Fl.ac, Graph, Merc, Sep, Sil, Thuja.
 In growing, Nails - Caust, Graph, Mag-aust, Nat.M, Nit.ac, Ph.ac, sil, Sulph, Teucr, Thuja,
 Splinters, Nails - Alum, Ars, Nit.ac, Ph.ac, Sep, Sil, Sulph, Tub.
 Spotted, Nails - Alum, Ars, Nit.ac, Ph.ac, Sep, Sil, Sulph, Tub.
 Ulcers, fingernails - Bov, Hep, Merc, Nat.M, Sil, sulph, thuja,
 Panaritium nails - All.c, Am.c,Am.m, Anac, Anthr, Apis, Benz.ac, Bufo, Calc, Caust, Cist, Dios, Fl.ac, Hep, Hyper, iod, iris, lach, lyc, Merc, nat.c, Nat.m, Nat.s, Nit.ac, Phyt, Rhus.tox, Sang, Sep, sil, Sulph, Tarent.c,

NOTE: Close observation and minute study about the nails is important for clinical diagnosis and also to select a remedy while treating homeopathically