WHAT DO YOUR HANDS SAY ABOUT YOUR HEALTH?

Our hands are a gateway to the body’s health and can provide clues to underlying conditions. While hand or nail symptoms are rarely the only or first signs that something is wrong, it is still important to notice any changes, particularly in fingernails, so don’t ignore anything that seems amiss.

WHITE SPOTS ON NAILS

These are often due to a forgotten injury and usually nothing to worry about. It takes three to six months for nails to grow out.

CLUB FINGERS

Rounded and bulbous fingers that cause nails to curve over can run in families and are usually harmless. But if they develop over a period, it may be associated with low oxygen levels in the blood, indicating lung or heart problems. Breathlessness is usually a more obvious symptom.

PALE HANDS

Do your hands turn white, blue, then red, usually in response to the cold? It could be due to Raynaud’s phenomenon, a common condition in which small blood vessels go into spasm, limiting blood flow to the fingertips. Avoid triggers and keep warm with mittens and handwarmers.

YELLOW HANDS

This may be a sign of jaundice, although the whites of the eyes usually show yellow first.

It is caused by a build-up of a yellow substance, bilirubin, due to problems with liver function but also pancreatitis, gallstones and more.

SPLINTER MARKS ON NAILS

Red or brown vertical streaks caused by tiny damaged blood vessels are usually the result of injury, but if most nails are affected, seek medical advice. Once considered to be a possible sign of a heart infection

(endocarditis), they are no longer criteria for this diagnosis. Fever, headache and aching joints and muscles are more obvious symptoms of this rare condition.

SHAKY OR TREMBLING HANDS

This is more common with age and can be due to stress, tiredness or anger, getting very hot or cold or too much caffeine. See your GP if it gets worse over time or affects daily activities.

CLAMMY PALMS

Sweaty hands may be due to nervous tension or simply becoming too hot overall – but if you still have sweaty palms when you’re not hot, and it’s only them that are affected, it might be caused by hyperhidrosis.

This is a common condition that causes excessive sweating and can sometimes affect a particular area or areas of the body. For more details, visit hyperhidrosisuk.org.

SWOLLEN HANDS

This is often due to oedema (fluid retention). It commonly affects legs and ankles but also hands and arms. Eating too many salty foods, an injury, insect stings, sudden hot weather, arthritis or certain medications can be to blame.

If it persists for a few days or worsens, see your GP.

BLACK SPOT OR BROWN DISCOLOURATION UNDER THE NAIL

If there’s been no injury, this could be melanoma, a type of skin cancer that can spread. It is typically seen at the base of the nail or nail fold. Ask your GP to check it out.