Thyroid disease: If you have hypothyroidism, you may have thick, brittle nails with vertical ridges. Your nails may also crumble or break easily. They may look more rounded and your fingertip may be puffy.
A swollen fingertip, curved nail, and thickening skin above a nail are often signs of thyroid disease.
Two medical problems that can cause nail ridges are low thyroid and B12 deficiency, according to Dr.
Thyroid dysfunction can also affect your nails, causing abnormality in nail shape, nail color, or attachment to the nail bed. Pay attention if you experience ongoing hangnails, ridges in your nails, splitting, peeling, or even dry cuticles.
Thyroid disease: If you have hypothyroidism, you may have thick, brittle nails with vertical ridges. Your nails may also crumble or break easily. They may look more rounded and your fingertip may be puffy.
Nail psoriasis is an autoimmune condition. It causes discoloration, pitting and changes in your fingernails and toenails. There isn't a cure, but treatments can alleviate related symptoms.
With age, vertical nail ridges may become more numerous or prominent because of changes in cell turnover within the nail. If your fingernails change color or you develop horizontal nail ridges, consult your health care provider. These changes could indicate an underlying health condition.
Thyroid problems and resulting brittle nails often stem from bad dietary habits. Your nails are made up primarily of a protein called keratin. For healthy nails, you need a diet rich in protein, zinc, magnesium, and calcium. Make sure you stay hydrated with sufficient water through the day.
Vitamin D is necessary for the absorption of calcium, which maintains healthy bones. If your nails are peeling, brittle, or have vertical ridges, you may be vitamin D deficient.
Thyroid hormones also influence the quality of your skin in various ways. For example, with hyperthyroidism, you may notice itchy and dry patches of skin. Your face may feel softer and swollen. You may even notice swelling around your fingertips.
Thyroid disorders can have a noticeable impact on your energy level and mood. Hypothyroidism tends to make people feel tired, sluggish, and depressed. Hyperthyroidism can cause anxiety, problems sleeping, restlessness, and irritability.
It's simply a common sign of normal aging. The growth of fingernails and toenails slows as we get older, and their appearance may change. Some nails become yellowed or dull and brittle, and some or all may develop tiny longitudinal ridges.
Mental and emotional stress can affect nail health and growth. Severe emotional stress, such as a divorce, death in the family or job loss, can cause Beau's lines. Anxiety disorders are another possible cause.
Beau's lines are deep grooved lines that run from side to side on the fingernail or the toenail. They may look like indentations or ridges in the nail plate. This condition of the nail was named by a French physician, Joseph Honoré Simon Beau (1806–1865), who first described it in 1846.
Koilonychia is an abnormal shape of the fingernail. The nail has raised ridges and is thin and curved inward. This disorder is associated with iron deficiency anemia.
Nail changes
These are most common in people who have systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Some people develop a nail infection, which can cause splitting or crumbling nails and discoloration (A), or swollen skin and discoloration around the nails (B). Sometimes, visible blood vessels appear around the nails.
Nail changes including discoloration, crumbling, onycholysis, Beau lines, ridging, pitting, thinning, etc., have been described in T-cell lymphomas [1, 2]. Reports of nail changes in B-cell lymphomas and Hodgkin lymphomas are limited. Beau lines are horizontal ridges and indentations that develop on nails.