Your finger nails can often give you a head start as to what is happening inside your body by the way they look. They often give a sign of a fungal nail infection or injury, but can sometimes indicate a more serious underlying disease. You should visit a doctor if your nails have changed in colour, texture, shape or thickness and you don't know why.

1. Discolouration of Nails

When you notice a brown colouration of your finger nails, it could be the result of simply wearing too much nail polish, but white nails could mean an iron deficiency, and blue tinted nails could indicate a lack of oxygen to the body. Either way, this could be a sign you should visit a doctor.

2. White Lines Across Nails

Also known as Muehrcke's lines, they usually affect several nails at a time. They indicate stress and malnutrition. They can also indicate low protein in the blood caused by liver disease.

Read more: http://africhow.com/health/

3. Brittleness

Brittleness of the nails, meaning that the nails easily become cracked, chipped, split, or peeled, can be observed as a sign of aging or in response to the long-term use of nail polish or as a result of prolonged exposure to certain chemicals. Some diseases are also associated with changes in the nails, which can include brittleness.

4. Thickened Nails

A common cause of thickened nails is a fungal nail infection. Possible causes of this can be psoriasis, a long-term condition that tends to also cause red, flaky patches of skin, long-term pressure from shoes that are either too small or too narrow over the toes, an indicator of a potential lung diseases, or a reactive arthritis.

5. Grooved Nails

Deep lines or grooves that go from left to right across the nail are known as Beau's lines. They can be due to infections in the finger folds, nutritional deficiency, or prolonged exposure to extreme weather.

Read more: http://africhow.com/health/

6. Spoon-shaped Nails

If your fingernails curve inwards like spoons, you may have hypochromic anemia, which leaves the red blood cells paler than normal. They can also be a symptom of hemachromatosis, a liver condition that is caused by a surplus of iron. They can also be a sign of heart disease or hypothyroidism.

7. Pitting of Nails

This is really not a big problem as it is mostly genetic. Also it could be a medical condition like eczema, a long-term skin condition, or a reactive arthritis, where the immune system attacks the joints, muscles and other parts of the body following an infection. Either way, you should definitely consult a doctor if you feel it’s an infection.

8. Unusually Curved Nails

Some people are simply born this way, others notice their fingernails begin to club over time due to IBS, lung, liver, or heart disease. The curved nails and fingertips is one of the signs you get when oxygen supply is lowered.

Resources: http://africhow.com/health/conditions-treatments/8-dangerous-warnings-your-nails-might-be-sending

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