What is Leukonychia?
This is a disease that is related to fingernails. With this condition, the color of the nail changes either partly or totally white. It can be essentially a hereditary problem or can be due to some systematic disorder. This condition is the reason that some individuals have white spots on their fingernails.
Leukonychia Symptoms
The most common symptoms and signs include:
- Hammer toes
- Hyperkeratosis
- Gingivitis
- Abnormal nail colors
- Deafness
- Skin cysts
- Skin syndactyly of fingers
- Arthrogryposis
- Joint contractures
The first sign of this condition is the appearance of white spots on the nail. There can also be multiple white lines in the fingernails as well as nails that become totally white.
This condition is more common in fingernails than toenails but can occur with both.
Leukonychia Causes
The cause that is most common of this nail disorder is a trauma to the nail base where the nail if developed. This region is known as the “matrix region”.
Other possible reasons for this problem with nail color can be linked to:
- Arsenic poisoning
- Pneumonia
- Heart disease
- Renal failure
- Ill health
- Hypoalbuminemia
- Vitamin deficiency
- Ulcerative Colitis
- Hypoproteinemia
- Hepatic cirrhosis
- Psychogenic stresses
- Onychophagia
- Occupational trauma
- Lack of zinc
- Lack of protein
- Psoriasis as well as eczema
This condition can also be linked to some rare disorders such as typhoid fever, trichinosis, frostbite, diphtheria, gout, cholera, acute rheumatism, myocardial infraction, colitis and any number of other ailments that not many individuals normally develop.
Congenital or hereditary leukonychia is another cause of the disorder and is present at birth. Additional forms of this condition appear in early childhood. Other forms of this can also merely be caused from an injury that is minor that happened when the nail is growing.
Leukonychia may also appear as a rare side effect of systemic chemotherapy in certain patients.
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But, it is to be remembered that the major cause of this condition is merely an injury or trauma to the base of the nail and as the nail grows out, these white spots or streaks are able to be seen.
There are some persons who are more at risk for this condition. Individuals that use nail enamels, artificial nails or nail hardeners can also develop these white streaks or spots due to an allergic response to the product and these can cause fragility of the nail as well as very fine layering or splitting the plate of the nail.
Individuals who frequent beauty shops or gyms are also at a risk of the development of leukonychia since white spots such as these can very easily be caused by infections gotten at these businesses due to yeast, fungus or bacteria. Such nail infections attack the nail substance and leave whitish streaks or spots behind.
If an individual gets medical attention in a timely matter, leukonychia may be controlled as well as treated. Normally physicians will take a scraping of tissue from the nail for bacterial and fungal cultures in order to discover if one of these organisms causes the spots. After final diagnosis, the physician can prescribe or advocate topical as well as oral medications to clear up the problem which can take only a few weeks to get better.
Leukonychia Treatment
Normally there is no precise treatment for leukonychia. But an individual can improve his/her diet to see if that helps to diminish the white spots. Try including more products in the diet that are rich in proteins, zinc as well as vitamins. Nuts as well as leafy vegetables are rich sources of zinc and if regularly consumed can get rid of this disorder of the nails.
Products such as nail polish can offer temporary solutions for hiding the white spots until the nails grow out. But remember that overuse of these products could have caused the problem in the first place. So it is advised to use the products in moderation.
An individual can prevent leukonychia by taking better care of the nails and prevent them from being mistreated by stopping hitting, rubbing or biting them.
If there has not been any improvement in these white spots or discolored nails in over 8 months, then it is advised to consult with your primary care physician to perhaps see if there is not some other underlying health problem or infection contributing to this problem.
Leukonychia Pictures
