What are blue nails due to?

The medical term for the bluish tone of the skin, including under the fingernails, is cyanosis. Blue fingernails may be the result of “hypoxemia,” meaning an abnormally low amount of oxygen-carrying hemoglobin within red blood cells.

Normally, arterial blood contains abundant oxygenated cells, making it appear bright red, but when oxygen levels drop, the blood appears bluish-red. Cyanosis is an indicator of this deficiency, which is often first seen in lips, gums, around the eyes and under the nails.

Causes of cyanosis

Very cold temperatures can temporarily slow blood flow, which also favors the bluish cast, but this usually goes away when you warm up. It can appear, for example, when taking a sea ​​bath in very cold water. In this case, it helps to put the hands in warm water or under the armpits until the body returns to normal temperature.

But blue nails or purple nails they can be a sign of various disorders and should be investigated. In the case of the Raynaud’s disease, fingers and toes turn pale when exposed to cold, then turn blue and may be numb or painful. Another trigger can be stress.

Symptoms may disappear when warming up or stress is resolved, or they may persist because they are the consequence of other disorders that affect nerve sensation and blood flow through the small arteries that supply peripheral areas of the body. (fingers, toes, nose, and earlobes).

Blue nails can also appear as a result of lung and respiratory problems. Some of them are:

Pulmonary embolism. Asthma. Emphysema. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Chronic bronchitis.

There are still more causes of bluish nails:

They may be the result of Heart problems. Exposure to large altitudes that cause oxygen deficiency in the blood.Reactions to certain medications, such as minocycline (an antibiotic), narcotics, benzodiazepines, and some sedatives.Having ingested colloidal silver It can also cause the appearance of a slate-blue color just above the lunula (half moon in the nail bed) and on the face (in this case the condition is irreversible and is called argyria).

If the blue nails are not simply a temporary reaction to cold temperatures, it is advisable to go to the doctor to identify the underlying cause. Your doctor will probably measure your blood oxygen and perhaps do some tests to check your heart and lungs.