What causes fingernails to turn bluish?
Blue fingernails are caused by a low level or lack of oxygen circulating in your red blood cells. This condition is known as cyanosis. It occurs when there isn’t enough oxygen in your blood, making the skin or membrane below the skin turn a purplish-blue color.
Can anemia cause blue fingernails?
Cyanosis can occur if the blood is not carrying enough oxygen to the fingertips or the person has poor circulation. It can also result from problems with hemoglobin, a protein in the red blood cells that is responsible for carrying oxygen.
What do purple nail beds mean?
Cyanosis is a low or lack of oxygen in your red blood cells that may result in the skin underneath your nails and elsewhere like the feet, lips and/or mucous membranes to be a bluish-purple color. Cold temperature exposure or abnormally high hemoglobin levels may cause cyanosis.
Can anemia cause cyanosis?
Anemia or polycythemia also plays a role in cyanosis. The level of hypoxia required to produce clinically evidenced cyanosis varies for a given level of hemoglobin[8]. Cyanosis is more difficult to discern when the level of hemoglobin is low.
What do anemic fingernails look like?
Anemia is a condition where your body lacks enough hemoglobin, a protein that carries oxygen from your lungs to the rest of your body. While fatigue is the leading sign of anemia, this condition can also show itself through brittle or spoon-shaped nails — called koilonychia.
Why does anemia not cause cyanosis?
Cyanosis is caused by an increase in the deoxygenated haemoglobin level to above 5 g/dL. In fact patients who have anemia do not develop cyanosis until the oxygen saturation (also called SaO2) falls below normal haemoglobin levels.
Why are the tips of my fingernails turning blue?
In some cases, fingernails turn blue or purplish because of cyanosis, which can also affect the lips and skin. Cyanosis can occur if the blood is not carrying enough oxygen to the fingertips or the person has poor circulation.
When to call 911 if your fingernails turn blue?
But there are cases when cyanosis is more urgent. If you’re experiencing chest pain, shortness of breath, dizziness, or intense sweating along with your nails turning blue, you need to call 911 immediately. Now, let’s look at some specific illnesses and circumstances that cause your fingernails or toenails to change color to blue.
What does it mean when your nails turn yellow?
Yellow nails can mean a few different issues and may have a wide array of severeness. One potential issue is a fungal infection. This is more common as you grow older, although any individual can be at risk. A fungal infection can affect one nail selectively or multiple nails at once.
What are the different colors of tongue discoloration?
Some of the colors that may be seen with tongue discoloration includes : 1 White. 2 Brigh red (strawberry). 3 Purple or purple-red (magenta). 4 Blue. 5 Yellow. 6 (more items)