Abby's

Volume 4 Issue 2

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Table 1. Incidence of nail clubbing in lung disease, heart disease and cancer Condition Total number of cases Cases with clubbing % Cystic fibrosis 73 73 100 Hepatopulmonary Syndrome 14 9 64.3 Hypersensitivity pneumonitis 82 44 53.7 Infective endocarditis 60 30 50.0 Interstitial Pulmonary Fibrosis 588 289 49.2 Asbestosis 167 72 43.1 Mesothelioma 77 23 29.9 Bronchogeneic carcinoma 111 32 28.9 Tuberculosis 426 72 16.9 Hemiplegia 87 12 13.8 Based on these statistics, bilateral nail clubbing is a very strong indicator of lung diseases (Table 1). For instance, clubbing was present in all 73 cases of cystic fibrosis. In fact, nail clubbing is one of the definitive signs to look out for in diagnosing cystic fibrosis. Unilateral clubbing is mostly found in those with heart problems like hemiplegia. When a person has nail clubbing, teeth marks on the tongue, opaque nails and lunulae only on the thumbs, there is a high chance for lung cancer. Beau's Lines Beau's lines are horizontal indentations across the nails (Picture 1f). These indentations are seen in most or all of the patient's nails and usually located in the same spot. These lines may be caused by trauma or by an illness severe enough to interrupt nail growth. For instance, a period of malnutrition or a heart attack can cause this interruption. Since these lines usually occur on the same spot, you can actually estimate the time of the illness through the location of the lines. It takes approximately six months for an adult nail to completely grow out. So a line that appears in the middle of the nail can tell you that the illness occurred approximately three months ago. The depth of the lines determines the severity of the illness: the deeper the lines, the more severe the illness. In some cases, an interruption in nail growth may manifest not as an indentation but as a major change in the quality of the nail. As seen in Picture 1g, chemotherapy interrupted nail growth in this patient. Approximately half of the nail towards the tip is yellowish in color and is somewhat raised from the nail bed. The rest of the nail has grown normally after chemotherapy treatment. Excerpt from Dr. Chi's Fingernail and Tongue Analysis, 3 rd Edition. pp 5-8 Table 1. Incidence of nail clubbing in lung disease, heart disease and cancer Condition Total number of cases Cases with clubbing % Cystic fibrosis 73 73 100 Hepatopulmonary Syndrome 14 9 64.3 Hypersensitivity pneumonitis 82 44 53.7 Infective endocarditis 60 30 50.0 Interstitial Pulmonary Fibrosis 588 289 49.2 Asbestosis 167 72 43.1 Mesothelioma 77 23 29.9 Bronchogeneic carcinoma 111 32 28.9 Tuberculosis 426 72 16.9 Hemiplegia 87 12 13.8 Based on these statistics, bilateral nail clubbing is a very strong indicator of lung diseases (Table 1). For instance, clubbing was present in all 73 cases of cystic fibrosis. In fact, nail clubbing is one of the definitive signs to look out for in diagnosing cystic fibrosis. Unilateral clubbing is mostly found in those with heart problems like hemiplegia. When a person has nail clubbing, teeth marks on the tongue, opaque nails and lunulae only on the thumbs, there is a high chance for lung cancer. Beau's Lines Beau's lines are horizontal indentations across the nails (Picture 1f). These indentations are seen in most or all of the patient's nails and usually located in the same spot. These lines may be caused by trauma or by an illness severe enough to interrupt nail growth. For instance, a period of malnutrition or a heart attack can cause this interruption. Since these lines usually occur on the same spot, you can actually estimate the time of the illness through the location of the lines. It takes approximately six months for an adult nail to completely grow out. So a line that appears in the middle of the nail can tell you that the illness occurred approximately three months ago. The depth of the lines determines the severity of the illness: the deeper the lines, the more severe the illness. In some cases, an interruption in nail growth may manifest not as an indentation but as a major change in the quality of the nail. As seen in Picture 1g, chemotherapy interrupted nail growth in this patient. Approximately half of the nail towards the tip is yellowish in color and is somewhat raised from the nail bed. The rest of the nail has grown normally after chemotherapy treatment. Excerpt from Dr. Chi's Fingernail and Tongue Analysis, 3 rd Edition. pp 5-8 Abby's Magazine - Volume 4 Issue 2 | Page 11

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