The subtle detail in your FINGERNAIL that reveals whether you are at risk of sudden death
A doctor has discovered that your nails show signs of a serious heart condition.
Dr. Joe, an American emergency room physician with 2 million followers on TikTok, said it’s a “bad sign” if you see a red pulse when you press on your nails.
Dr. Joe explains that in medical terms, this is called Quincke’s sign and it is a sign of a potentially serious heart condition, where the organ is having to work harder than normal.
“When the nail is pressed in, it creates a pulsation in the nail bed. This is called aortic regurgitation,” he said.
He continued: ‘When the blood leaves the heart to go to the body, a significant amount of it flows back into the heart and that can cause a whole host of problems.’
These problems can range from relatively mild complaints such as shortness of breath and fatigue to heart failure and even death.
Aortic valve insufficiency is a relatively common condition in the population. According to some studies, about one in twenty people has a form of this condition.
However, its severity varies: it is estimated that only one in 200 people suffer from the most severe forms of the condition.
It is most commonly diagnosed in people aged between 40 and 60, with men being slightly more at risk. The NHS estimates that around 1.5 million people over the age of 65 in the UK have some form of the disease.
The condition itself is caused by a weakness in the aortic valves in the heart. This causes the valves to no longer close properly, leading to backflow of blood into the organ.
Over time, the heart can become weaker.
Due to the extra work and therefore the strain that the organ has to perform to pump blood through the weakened valves.
The causes of the weakening leading to aortic valve regurgitation vary.
Sometimes it is congenital, meaning people are born with it, a result of an infection that weakens the heart, or it is a direct result of a physical injury to the chest.
In addition to Quincke syndrome, other symptoms of aortic valve regurgitation include general fatigue, weakness and shortness of breath during exercise, an irregular heartbeat or palpitations, dizziness or fainting, and swollen ankles and feet.
Dr. Joe explained that this is a sign of a potentially serious heart condition, where the organ is having to work harder than normal.
People experiencing these symptoms are advised to contact their doctor immediately, as these are also general signs of a potentially serious heart problem.
The diagnosis of aortic valve regurgitation is usually made using tests that measure the functioning of the heart and scans that look at the structure of the heart.
Treatment depends on the severity of the condition.
People with milder forms of the disease may only need semi-regular checks on their heart health, as well as general advice on keeping their heart healthy, to reduce the risk of the condition getting worse.
Some patients are also prescribed medications to combat the side effects.
People with more severe aortic valve regurgitation may need surgery to repair the aortic valve or even replace it entirely with an artificial valve.