COVID nails could be a sign that you have had COVID

Over the past year, we have come across many unusual symptoms of the virus, some of which could loom long after one recovers from the viral infection. From poor, altered taste to hair loss, there can be a lot of symptoms that strike after COVID-19. Now, some experts have pointed evidence at a symptom that can show up on your nails, post recovering from the illness

READ MORE: New, unusual signs of coronavirus infection

Our nail health can hold a lot of clues about how well and healthy we are. However, it’s the first time that we have come across a symptom as strange as ‘COVID’ nails. We tell you what it is, and how exactly you can spot it:

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Recovery from coronavirus can take a while and there could be a lot of lingering symptoms that could remain weeks after testing negative. As some say, some of the symptoms could be ‘residual’ side-effects or just a way the body copes with the viral infection of such magnitude.

ALSO READ: Signs of COVID-19 can be seen on your nails and earlobe, here’s what you need to know

COVID nails can be one such symptom. First pointed out by a British epidemiologist Tim Spector, who was also involved in the UK-based COVID symptom study app, COVID nails are being looked at as a possible side-effect where nails recover post the infection, with an evident sign being a ‘clear line’ on the nail bed.

Spector’s observations soon sparked off responses on the internet, with many COVID survivors talking of recognizing this sign on their nails, weeks on or months after fighting the infection.

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While it’s the first time that people are discovering this unusual COVID side-effect, there is a medical term for the nail bed manifestation, which is known as ‘Beau’s lines’.

Now, while exactly what links Beau’s lines to strike when you have COVID-19 is yet clearly unknown, experts believe that undergoing extreme stress or illness which takes a toll on overall body health can very well impact the nails.

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COVID nails, according to case studies, can come up weeks or months after fighting the virus. It can not just affect the nail bed but appear on the toes as well. However, the most characteristic marker of this side-effect could be ‘grooves’, usually white in colour that runs across your nail plate.

Beau’s lines could also appear in the form of ridges, grooves or indentations, and show up on more than one nail plate at a time.

What experts have also pointed out is that COVID nails, though a strange side-effect that has been reported by a lot of COVID survivors, may not affect every COVID patient. For some, it may not be evident enough to be noticed.

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The indentations on the nail bed can be caused by a lot of factors, including severe illness, viral infections and comorbidities like uncontrolled diabetes and some vascular diseases.

As with COVID-19, the nail symptoms could also be considered a way inflammation acts up on the skin, much like how other COVID skin symptoms show. Since COVID-19 is also an illness that takes longer to heal, nail health could be badly impacted. Prolonged use of certain medications can also cause the same.

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Since Beau’s lines are often caused by systematic illness or medicines, the resolution of the nail symptom majorly depends on recovery from COVID-19. Some also say that it can be nothing major to worry about, and may only be a sign that the body has recovered from the nasty infection and is now making a healthy recovery.

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