What does koilonychia look like?
Koilonychia is indented nails. Instead of growing straight, your nails look concave, like spoons. In many people, koilonychia is a sign of iron deficiency. Usually, you can get rid of spoon nails by treating the underlying cause.
Is koilonychia reversible?
Appropriate workup is important not only to exclude an underlying cutaneous or systemic disorder but also to distinguish between the different aetiologies to provide appropriate management of koilonychia. Most of the cases with acquired causes are reversible.
What does iron deficiency nails look like?
Koilonychia is an abnormal shape of the fingernail. The nail has raised ridges and is thin and curved inward. This disorder is associated with iron deficiency anemia. Leukonychia is white streaks or spots on the nails often due to drugs or disease.
Can koilonychia be normal?
In adults, koilonychia may be a sign of a health condition that needs medical attention. In infants, koilonychia is common. In 2016, an observational study involving 52 newborns found that 32.7% of the infants had koilonychia. In infants, the nail shape usually becomes regular in time.
What causes toenails to spoon?
Spoon nails usually develop on fingernails, but they can also occur in your toenails. The most common cause of spoon nails is iron deficiency, or anemia. This makes your level of red blood cells lower than normal.
What do scooped nails mean?
Spoon nails (koilonychia) are soft nails that look scooped out. The depression usually is large enough to hold a drop of liquid. Often, spoon nails are a sign of iron deficiency anemia or a liver condition known as hemochromatosis, in which your body absorbs too much iron from the food you eat.
How long does it take for nail beds to heal?
If you lose your nail, it will take about 7 to 10 days for the nail bed to heal. A new fingernail will take about 4 to 6 months to grow to replace the lost nail. Toenails take about 12 months to grow back. The new nail will probably have grooves or ridges and be somewhat misshapen.
Do damaged nail beds ever heal?
Many injuries to your nail bed can be fully repaired. For example, your nail should return to normal after a subungual hematoma is drained. However, some severe injuries can lead to a deformed nail. This is more likely when the base of your nail bed is injured.
How do you test koilonychia?
Chronic microcytic anaemia. When attempting to diagnose koilonychia, we use a 1-mL syringe to place a few drops of water on the patient’s nail. For nails with normal or convex curvature, the liquid will quickly trickle off the nail plate.
How do you fix iron deficiency?
Iron deficiency can’t be corrected overnight. You may need to take iron supplements for several months or longer to replenish your iron reserves. Generally, you’ll start to feel better after a week or so of treatment. Ask your doctor when to have your blood rechecked to measure your iron levels.
Why does koilonychia occur in anemia?
Koilonychia occurs in 5.4% of the patients with iron deficiency. It is thought to occur due to the upward deformation of lateral and distal portions of pliable iron deficient nail plates under mechanical pressure. Nail matrix changes due to blood flow abnormalities was also proposed as a pathomechanism.