5 Nail Changes That Could Indicate Psoriasis and Other Health Issues

Your nails can offer important clues about your health, including potential underlying conditions like psoriasis. Dr. Kunal Sood emphasizes the significance of recognizing changes in your nails that may signal health issues. Here are five key changes to watch out for:

1. Clubbing: This condition causes the fingertips to appear rounded with curved nails, often indicating underlying lung or heart diseases. It occurs when certain growth factors are released at the fingertips, potentially linked to chronic lung diseases or heart conditions.

2. Spoon-shaped nails: Known as koilonychia, this condition may signal iron deficiency anemia. It results in thin, concave nails and can precede other symptoms related to iron deficiency for months.

3. Red nail streaks: If you notice red streaks under your nails, this could indicate blood vessel inflammation. While trauma is a common cause, multiple streaks or those near the nail base could suggest systemic issues like vasculitis or lupus.

4. Swollen finger joints: Swelling in finger joints is a classic sign of arthritis. It may indicate osteoarthritis or inflammatory arthritis, and further examination is needed to determine the underlying cause.

5. Pitting in nails: Pitting is a hallmark sign of nail-matrix involvement in psoriasis. About one-third of psoriasis patients show nail pits, which may coincide with other nail changes and provide early clues to the condition.

Awareness of these signs can facilitate early diagnosis and treatment, potentially improving health outcomes.