The secrets about health revealed by our hands – 02/09/2023 – Health

Your hands bring great revelations about your state of health.

This fact has been recognized at least since the times of Hippocrates, the father of medicine. The ancient Greek physician was the first to describe clubbing in a patient suffering from empyema (occurring when pus fills the space between the lungs and the surrounding membrane) in the 5th century BC

In clubbing (also called clubbing), the nail looks like a downward-facing spoon. This condition is recognized as a sign of disease even today —although, currently, it is not only related to empyema. It is also linked to cystic fibrosis, liver cirrhosis and thyroid conditions.

Another nail change that can signal disease is Lindsay’s nails. This condition occurs when one or more nails are half white, half reddish brown.

About 50% of people with chronic kidney disease have this nail condition. But it can also be a sign of cirrhosis of the liver and Behçet’s disease, a rare condition that causes blood vessels to become inflamed.

Terry’s nails, which occur when one or more nails have the appearance of ground glass, can also be a sign of liver cirrhosis, but have been linked to type 2 diabetes, kidney failure and HIV. And then there are Muehrcke’s nails, which look more like a medical condition than a manicure. In them, one or more horizontal lines run through the nails.

This pattern indicates a drop in the most abundant protein in the blood: albumin. And nail marks can also indicate kidney failure.

But sometimes changes in nail patterns and colors aren’t indicators of something gloomy—they’re just signs of aging.

Neapolitan nails, for example, are often seen in people over 70 years of age. They received this name due to their three regions with distinct colors. They are not cause for concern.

palms

Nails aren’t the only part of your hands that can reveal health issues. Palms also have stories to tell.

If you notice that your palms are getting sweaty without you feeling nervous or even in the absence of high temperatures or physical exercise, it could be an indication of faulty nerve signals that are activating your sweat glands.

This condition can be benign—in which case it is known as primary hyperhidrosis. But inexplicably sweaty palms (as well as your face, neck, and underarms) can indicate thyroid problems.

Hyperthyroidism is a condition in which the thyroid gland in the neck produces too much thyroxine. Excess of this hormone causes acceleration of body processes and can cause sweaty palms. Fortunately, this condition is easily treated with the right medication.

A more worrisome change is the appearance of small areas of red or purple discoloration on the palms and fingers. This could be a sign of bacterial endocarditis (inflammation of the inner lining of the heart), which has a high mortality rate.

This discoloration can present itself in two forms: Osler’s nodes and Janeway’s lesions.

Osler’s nodes are typically red and painful, ranging in size from 1 to 10 mm. They appear on the fingers and last from hours to days. Janeway’s lesions have irregular shapes and variable sizes. They are typically seen on the palms and are not painful, lasting between a few days and a few weeks.

These two patterns on the palms are very serious and urgently need medical attention.

Tingling and Numbness

If you feel tingling and numbness in your hands and you can’t get rid of them, it could be a sign of carpal tunnel syndrome. It occurs when a major nerve (the middle nerve) in the wrist is pinched, causing numbness, tingling, or pain.

The syndrome usually improves without treatment, but a wrist splint can help reduce pressure on the nerve. People who are overweight or pregnant are at a higher risk of suffering from carpal tunnel syndrome.

Tingling and numbness in the hand can also be a sign of diabetes. The increased blood sugar level in diabetes causes nerve damage that manifests itself as tingling or numbness in the extremities, such as the hands. This condition is called “diabetic neuropathy”.

Everyone experiences tingling or numbness at some point, but if it’s frequent or lasts for a long time, see a doctor.

finger length

The length of your fingers can provide some indication of your risk of developing certain diseases later in life.

The length of the index finger, compared to the ring finger, varies between men and women. In women, they are approximately equal in length, but in men, the ring finger is usually longer than the index finger.

This difference is believed to be caused by exposure to hormones in utero. This relationship between ring finger and index finger length is associated with better performance between men and women in a range of sports, but also with the risk of developing osteoarthritis in the knees and hips among women.

There’s nothing you can do to change the length of your fingers, but you can help prevent osteoarthritis by maintaining a healthy weight, staying active and controlling your blood sugar levels.

And if you follow this advice, you can avoid most illnesses.

*Adam Taylor is Professor and Director of the Center for Learning in Clinical Anatomy at the University of Lancaster, UK.

This article was originally published on the academic news site The Conversation and republished under a Creative Commons license. Read the original English version here.