The appearance of your fingernails could be a sign of Covid-19 infection, a prominent scientist said.
Professor Tim Spector, principal investigator of the Zoe Covid Symptom Study app, explained that nails that show a prominent ridge could be an indicator that a person has had coronavirus in the past, even if they haven’t presented any other symptom.
What do “Covid nails” look like?
Professor Spector said people who have a “clear line,” which creates a prominent ridge, growing out of the nail, may have already had Covid.
The nail marks are generally harmless and can be caused by any disease, which means the symptom is not specific to the coronavirus alone.
Some people who had previously had coronavirus may also see discoloration under their fingernails.
These changes will only occur after infection, due to the slow growth of the nails.
Write about Twitter, Professor Spector said: “Do your nails look strange? COVID nails are increasingly recognized as the nails recover from infection and the growth recovers leaving a clear line. Can occur without rashes and appears harmless.
Several Twitter users responded to the post saying they experienced this symptom after becoming ill, although it is not limited specifically to Covid.
Some users reported that ridges on their nails appeared after sepsis, flu, anemia, and after receiving the coronavirus vaccine.
Users wrote, “Between 2018 and 2019, I was seriously ill. I had white lines and ridges in my nails and a white blonde “band” in my hair where growth stopped due to trauma and sepsis. This is not unique to covid but a strange side effect nonetheless. “
“I had J&J and had bad allergies a few weeks later, I thought * might * be mild Covid so I isolated myself. I noticed these lines a few days ago. No matter what happened. I’m glad I isolated myself.
“Do you also get them after you have had the flu?” I had the flu (for the first time) in early December 2019 and noticed these lines for weeks / months until the nail grew and wondered if there was a connection.
“I have two streaked thumbs from bad anemia from endometriosis, it’s growing slowly now but it looks like a mess. I think anything that attacks or exhausts your body will affect your nails to be fair .
What causes the ridges to appear?
The horizontal grooves or ridges that appear on the nails after an infection are known as Beau’s lines and have been reported in people who have Covid toes or fingers – that is, when the skin becomes discolored. .
These lines are commonly seen in patients who have had viral illness and are a sign of stress the body has been under.
The lines will eventually develop over time and are generally harmless.
Dr Tanya Bleiker, President of the British Association of Dermatologists, explained: “Dermatologists see ‘Covid Nails’ in some patients who have had infection with SARS-CoV-2, the virus responsible for Covid 19.
“These changes have long been recognized as ‘Beau’s lines’ and are transverse indentations in the fingernail of many or all of the fingernails and sometimes the toenails.
“They are caused by a temporary disruption in nail growth due to a number of causes, including febrile illnesses such as Covid-19 infection.
“These imprints tend to appear two to three weeks after illness – longer in the toenails.
“They are harmless and grow over time – often surprisingly a few months.”
This article originally appeared on our sister site, NationalWorld.
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Source: www.bedfordtoday.co.uk
This notice was published: 2021-08-17 12:16:38
