How to recognize Clubbing Nails?

What is nail clubbing?

In medicine, clubbing nails (or digital clubbing) is a deformity of the fingers and fingernails that is associated with a number of diseases, mostly of the heart and lungs. Digital clubbing is classified into primary (ie, idiopathic, hereditary) and secondary forms. Digital clubbing may be symmetric bilaterally, or it may be unilateral or involve a single digit.

Since Hippocrates first described digital clubbing in patients with empyema, digital clubbing has been associated with various underlying pulmonary, cardiovascular, neoplastic, infectious, hepatobiliary, mediastinal, endocrine, and gastrointestinal diseases. The phenomenon is therefore occasionally called 'Hippocrates Nail' or 'Hippocratic fingers'.

Clubbing: Treatment & Prevention.

When clubbed nails are the result of a disease, this nail disorder should be treated by treating the disease. However, Clubbing Nails often result from chronic low blood-oxygen levels. This can be seen with cystic fibrosis, congenital cyanotic heart disease, and several other diseases. The tips of the fingers enlarge and the nails become extremely curved from front to back.
In these cases an Ecrinal Nail Cream is a recommended product. The Ecrinal Nail Cream helps to regenerate the nails. Use it whenever you need to help the nails to grow: breaking, chipping, ridging, weak nails. It will also strengthen and protect healthy nails.

The Development of Clubbing.

A clubbed nail develops in five steps:[1] Fluctuation and softening of the nail bed (increased ballotability). [2] Loss of the normal <165° angle ("Lovibond angle") between the nailbed and the fold (cuticula). [3] Increased convexity of the nail fold. [4] Thickening of the whole distal finger (resembling a drumstick). [5] Shiny aspect and striation of the nail and skin; When clubbing is encountered in patients, doctors will seek to identify its cause.

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NAIL CLUBBING
described in the Nail Tutor!

SECTION: NAIL DISORDERS