NAILS IN HEALTH AND illness.

The nails square measure gift at the tip of every finger tip on the dorsal surface.The main perform of nail is protection and it conjointlyhelps for a firm grip for holding articles.It consists of a robust comparatively versatile keratinous nail plate originating from the nail matrix.beneath the nail plate there's a soft tissue known as nail bed.Between the skin and nail plate there's a nail fold or cuticle.Normal healthy nail is slight pink in color and therefore the surface is bell-shaped from facet to facet.Finger nails grow one cm in 3 months and toe nails taketwenty four months for an equivalent.

Importance of nails in illness diagnosis:

The colour ,appearance,shape and nature of the nails offer some data concerning the overall health and hygiene of someone . Nailssquare measure examined as a routine by all doctors to induce some clues concerning underlying diseases.Just watching nails we willmakeout the hygiene of someone.The abnormal nail could also be noninheritable or attributable to some diseases.The cause for changeswithin the nail extend from easy reasons to life threatening diseases.Hence the examination by a doctor is important for diagnosing .Some abnormal findings with probable causes square measure mentioned here for general awareness.

1) Hygiene:-

We can puzzle out associate unsanitary nail terribly simply .Deposition of dirt beneath the distal finish of nail plate will create an opportunity for body process of pathogens whereas consumption.If beauty treatment isn't done properly it may result in worm troubles in youngsters.When the worms go to sleep the anal porta youngsters can scratch that lodges the ova of worms beneath the nails and canbe taken in whereas consumption.Prominent nail may also complicate a disease of the skin by habitual scratching.Sharp nails in littlechildren cause little wounds once they do feet kicking or hand waving.

2) color of the nails:-

a) Nails become pale in anaemia.

b) Opaque white discolouration(leuconychia) is seen in chronic kidney failure and nephrosis.

c) lightening is additionally seen in hypoalbuminaemia as in cirrhosis of the liver and excretory organ disorders. 

d) medicine like antibacterial cluster,anti protozoal infection and opposedbiotics electroconvulsive therapy will manufacturediscolouration within the nails.

e) mycosis causes black discolouration.

f) In genus Pseudomonas infection nails become black or inexperienced.

g) Nail bed infarct occures in redness particularly in systemic lupus erythematosus and arteritis.

h) Red dots square measure seen in nails attributable to splinter haemorrhages in acute microorganism endo redness, atrophic arthritis, trauma, albuminoid tube-shaped structure diseases. 

i) Blunt injury produces hemorrhage and causes blue/black discolouration.

j) Nails become brown in excretory organ diseases and in small adrenal activity.

k) In wilsons illness blue color two-dimensional figure seems within the nail.

l) once the blood offer decreases nail become yellow .In jaundice and skin disease conjointly nail become chromatic.

m) In yellow nail syndrome all nails become chromatic with serous membrane effusion.

3) form of nails:-

a) Clubbing: Here tissues at the bottom of nails square measure thickened and therefore the angle between the nail base and therefore the skin is destroyed. The nail becomes additional bell-shaped and therefore the finger tip becomes bulbous and appears like associatefinish of a drumstick. once the condition becomes worse the nail feels like a parrot beak.

Causes of clubbing:-

Congenital Injuries

Severe chronic symptom

Lung diseases like inflammatory disease,bronchiactesis,carcinoma of cartilaginous tube and T.B.. 
Abdominal diseases like colitis,polyposis of colon,ulcerative inflammatory bowel disease,liver cirrhosis of the liver electroconvulsive therapy...

Heart diseases like congenital heart defect,subacute microorganism carditis and electroconvulsive therapy..

b) Koilonychia:-

Here the nails become concave sort of a spoon.This condition is seen in iron deficiency anaemia.In this condition the nails becomeskinny,soft and brittle.The normal convexity are going to be replaced by concavity.

c) Longitudinal ridging is seen in raynaud's illness.

d) Cuticle becomes ragged in myositis.

e) Nail fold telangiectasia could be a check in myositis ,systemic induration and systemic lupus erythematosus.

4) Structure and consistancy:-

a) mycosis of nail causes discolouration,deformity,hypertrophy and abnormal breakableness.

b) Thimble erosion of nail is charecteristic of skin disease ,acute disease of the skin and baldness aereata.

c) The inflamation of cuticle or nail fold is termed paronychia.

d) onychosis is that the seperation of nail bed seen in skin disease,infection and when taking tetracyclines.

e) Destruction of nail is seen in lichen,epidermolysis bullosa.

f) Missing nail is seen in nail patella syndrome.It is a inherited disease.

g) Nails become brittle in raynauds illness and gangrene.

h) Falling of nail is seen in mycosis,psoriasis and thyroid diseases.

5) Growth:-

Reduction in blood offer affects the expansion of nails. Nail growth is additionally affected in severe ilness. once the illness disappears the expansion starts once more leading to formation of crosswise ridges.These lines square measure known as Beau's lines and square measure healpful so far the onset of unhealthiness