The condition of the hair, skin or nails is usually very telling and can reveal a lot about a person’s state of health. If your hair starts to fall out more than is healthy, or a rash forms on your body, you will probably deal with these problems more consistently than, for example, chipping your nails, but they can also be an indicator of some unpleasant diseases. Your own doctor should be able to tell from the condition of your nails whether you are suffering from any diseases of the lungs, heart or cardiovascular system or digestive system. Let’s see how a diagnosis can be made based on the condition of the nails.
Indication of disease through fingernails
Nails react to various conditions in the body in their own way. You should definitely pay attention if their appearance and shape start to change – if they start to curl, their beds change colour or if they develop grooves. Any change in the appearance of the nails that has not been caused by mechanical damage may indicate a problem in the internal organs. The quality of the nails is mainly influenced by diet and blood circulation, which supplies the beds and allows for their healthy growth. Diagnosis through the nails can be focused only on visual assessment, but special methods can also be applied to infer more specific (and more serious) diseases.
Schamroth’s window test
One of the simplest diagnostic tools is the Schamroth window test, which can then be used to determine what kind of ailment is likely to be afflicting the patient based on the patient’s medical history. This test is performed simply by placing the nails of the same finger from both hands (e.g. middle fingers) flat against each other. A healthy person’s nails are rounded and only touch in part when attached. Under the surfaces, a square-shaped formation is then formed – the so-called window. If the window is not present (the fingers in the place under the nails completely touch each other. If you do not get a correct Schamroth test result, definitely see a doctor – this can be a symptom of very serious diseases.