What does it mean when you have white dots in your fingernails?

What does it mean when you have white dots in your fingernails?

Mineral deficiency You may notice white spots or dots along your nails if you are deficient in certain minerals or vitamins. The deficiencies most commonly linked to this issue are zinc deficiency and calcium deficiency.

What disease causes white nails?

Illnesses that can lead to white nails include:

  • iron deficiency anemia, a lack of iron in the body.
  • liver cirrhosis, which is scarring of the liver.
  • kidney disease.
  • heart failure.
  • diabetes.
  • problems with the digestion of proteins.
  • an excessive loss of proteins in the intestines.
  • zinc deficiency.

What do fingernails look like with arsenic poisoning?

Mees’ lines (white lines in the nails) usually appear 2 to 3 weeks after acute exposure to arsenic. Encephalopathy with marked excitement followed by lethargy and signs of acute peripheral neuropathy can develop within a few hours. In patients with fatal acute poisoning, coma and death ensue within a few days.

What causes white spots on nails NHS?

The NHS says: “White spots or streaks are normal and nothing to worry about, but parallel white lines that extend all the way across the nails, known as Muehrcke’s lines, are a sign of low levels of protein in the blood.”

What are Mees lines on fingernails?

Mees’ lines (also known as Aldrich or Reynolds’ lines) are transverse white bands on the nail plate laid down during periods of stress. Common associations are poisioning (arsenic, thallium, fluorosis), severe infection, renal disease, cardiac failure, and malignant disease.

What does a nail Ridge look like?

Vertical ridges are furrows that run from the tip of your fingernail down to the cuticle. They are sometimes called longitudinal striations or bands. Slight vertical ridges in fingernails often develop in older adults, possibly due to a slowing of cell turnover.

What do Lindsay nails look like?

Half and half nails or Lindsay’s nails is a systemic onychopathy, clinically characterized by a white coloring of the proximal half nail and a red-brown coloration of the distal half of all the nails.

What do Terry’s nails look like?

Terry’s nails are entirely white with a red or brownish band at the tip. They also have a unique appearance that resembles ground glass. Although this condition most commonly affects all the nails of your fingers, it can also occur in just one fingernail and has even been reported in toenails.