Type 2 diabetes: Do your fingernails look like this? Warning of high blood sugar on nails
Type 2 diabetes is a common condition which affects a person’s blood sugar levels. Blood sugar is an often-underestimated component of one’s health. When it’s out of whack over a long period of time, it could develop into diabetes. Diabetes affects the body’s ability to produce or use insulin, a hormone that allows the body to turn glucose (sugar) into energy. When this occurs a person’s fingernails may change, indicating they may be at risk.
Dr Elizabeth Salada addresses the importance of being vigilant of one’s nails as an indication of any underlying health problems.
Dr Salada warns a person’s nails could hold clues and signs of early type 2 diabetes.
“Lots of common diseases can present themselves through the appearance of your nails,” said Dr Salada.
READ MORE: Does your poo look like this? It could signal you’ve had type 2 diabetes for some time
She continued: “The normal, typical healthy nail is quite pink, flat and even in colour.
“You always want to be aware of any changes of shape in the nail, thickness, consistency looking at the surface the colour of the nail, whether the nail is separated for the nail bed.
“If you see nail pits that could indicate the patient has psoriasis – one of the skin disorders.
“A slight blush at bottom of the nail is sometimes a symptom of diabetes.”
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Nails are a tell-tale sign reflecting a range of health problems, said Diabetes.co.uk
The health site added: “They are a trigger for diagnosis of skin ailments right through to chronic diseases.
“They say the eyes are the windows to your soul.
“Well then one’s nails must be the windows to one’s health.”
Diabetes and toenails
People with diabetes are more likely than those without diabetes to get a fungal infection called onychomycosis.
This infection usually affects the toenails.
The nails will turn yellow and become brittle.
If a person gets a cut on their foot, nerve damage from diabetes may make it hard for you to feel the injury.
Bacteria can find their way into the open sore, causing infection and if a person doesn’t feel the injury and doesn’t treat the infection, it could damage the foot so much that they may need to have it amputated.
The nails can reveal much about a person’s overall health.
Many diseases and serious conditions can be detected by changes in the nails.
Health experts warn that having white nails could indicate liver diseases, nails with half pink and half white could indicate kidney diseases, a red nail bed could warn of heart conditions and yellowing and thickening of the nail could indicate lung disease.
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