The small detail in your fingernails that means you may be at risk of sudden death
Gerrard Kaonga
Featured Image Credit: TikTok/@drjoe_md / Getty Stock Image
Surprisingly, a small detail in your nails that you might not even notice could be a sign of severe health issues.
Be honest, if something on your body doesn’t hurt or looks normal enough, you likely won’t pay it much attention.
I’ll raise my hand in shame admitting that is pretty much how I get by on the day to day.
However, a doctor who regularly posts on his TikTok channel - Dr Joe_Md - has highlighted how your nails can indicate whether you've developed a heart condition or not.
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Dr Joe said the medical term for the symptom is Quincke’s sign, and it can reveal that the heart might be working harder than usual.
He said: 'When the nail is pressed down there's a pulsation in the nail bed, and this is from something called aortic regurgitation.
“As the blood is leaving the heart to go to the body a significant portion of it actually backflows into the heart and this can cause a whole host of problems.”
So if you spot a 'red pulsation' when you press down on your nails, this could be a bad sign.
Since it would seem such a small detail, you would be forgiven for thinking this could only result in minor consequences.
However, Dr Joe highlighted the laundry list of issues this could create and they are admittedly surprisingly severe.
On the list are relatively minor issues such as chest pain, shortness of breath and fatigue.
However, on the other end of the spectrum, this could also be a sign of heart failure, arrhythmias, an enlarged heart, endocarditis, fluid build up and - most dauntingly - sudden cardiac death.
If I'm honest it is quite scary to think that a small change in your nails could be signs of further and extreme health issues but it is better to know than not.
Some people on social media remarked that they did, in fact, have aortic regurgitation, but did not have this sign.
While others said their nails have always pulsed the same way shown in the video but have never had any health or heart issues of any kind.
Speaking to one user who was concerned, Dr Joe wrote that if you are feeling conscious about the sign or whether you have any of the symptoms you should simply book an appointment with the doctor and get their opinion on it.
In his other TikTok videos, Dr Joe has highlighted other changes in the nail and what they mean, so might be worth checking your nail health is good overall as it could be a sign of potential future issues.