Nail problem

[Lyndaki]

I’ve been on Prednisolone for over 6 years having once managed to come off last May. Unfortunately I had to go back on due to symptoms returning. For most of the time, my nails have been in better condition than ever in my life, but this last year I’ve developed very odd white marks on several nails. (See pic) Has anyone else had this problem & if so, how do you deal with it? I’ve consulted Doctor Google & come up with a possibility…onycholysis🤔 Any help would be gratefully received thank you!

[PMRpro Ambassador]

Are they only at the tips? Or did they start further down the nail and grow out to there?

[Lyndaki in reply to PMRpro]

Just the tips but seem to be getting bigger🤔

[piglette]

My nails do that occasionally and then they look OK again over time. Your nails look so like mine in shape, colour etc, they could be twins. It happened to my nails before I got PMR. They seem OK at the moment.

[Lyndaki in reply to piglette]

Thanks. I’m hoping they get no worse!

[piglette in reply to Lyndaki]

I have often wondered why it happens. Perhaps I will take more notice now you have mentioned it!!

[piglette in reply to Lyndaki]

I have looked it up.

‘Onycholysis is a common nail disorder in which the nail plate has separated from the nailbed typically resulting in a well-defined area of white opaque nail.’

[PMRpro Ambassador in reply to piglette]

There is also leukonychia - white spots that grow up through the nail, due to nailbed damage. Can even be caused by the nail technician - though that will never be the case for me!!!

[piglette in reply to PMRpro]

I get those occasionally too. In fact I have a small one now. Onycholysis seems to happen at the top of the nail while leukonychia seems to be white dots further down. They say that you can tell a lot about the health of an individual through their nails. A window to our overall health!!

[PMRpro Ambassador in reply to piglette]

Lung things result in curved nails for example - good doctors always watch you walk in and look at your hands ...

[Lyndaki in reply to PMRpro]

Nor me!! 😂

[Lyndaki in reply to piglette]

Yes, & one remedy is said to be rubbing Vicks into the nail, & another is soaking in apple cider vinegar! So I’m trying both!

[PMRpro Ambassador in reply to Lyndaki]

Bit smelly ...

[Lyndaki in reply to PMRpro]

True!😂

[piglette in reply to Lyndaki]

I have never heard of that idea before.

[Fatsiajaponica]

Tea tree oil is a good remedy for fungal nails and may help with this? I have recently had white spots which have turned crumbly so assuming a fungal nail infection, blaming PMR/Pred but who knows.

[Lyndaki in reply to Fatsiajaponica]

I was considering tea tree oil…thanks, it can’t hurt trying!

[bronigel]

Can this be a sign of psoriatic arthritis? I am sure I read somewhere this can be one of the first signs.

[Lyndaki in reply to bronigel]

I looked it up but I don’t have any other symptoms like psoriasis or arthritis so hopefully not

[PMRpro Ambassador in reply to Lyndaki]

PsA can have a polymyalgic presentation! One rheumy was insistent I could have PsA - never had psoriasis (only in the family) and textbook PMR symptoms except normal range markers and only PMR-type joint symptoms but he was bent on it being an inflammatory arthritis. Time has shown otherwise I think!

[Lyndaki in reply to PMRpro]

Interesting! It’s funny that it’s only started over the last year. I’ve been using some nail strengthening serum to improve awful nails, which worked wonders last year, but I’m wondering if that’s anything to do with it🤔