Clubbed Fingernails Or Toenails

What Causes Nail Clubbing?

Nail clubbing can have various causes, ranging in severity from 'very minor' to 'generally fatal'.  Finding the true cause means ruling out or confirming each possibility – in other words, diagnosis.

Diagnose your symptoms now!
  • understand what's happening to your body
  • check your overall health status
  • learn what you should be doing right now

Diagnosis is usually a complex process due to the sheer number of possible causes and related symptoms.  In order to diagnose nail clubbing, we could:

  • Research the topic
  • Find a doctor with the time
  • Use a diagnostic computer system.
The process is the same, whichever method is used.

Step 1: List all Possible Causes

We begin by identifying the disease conditions which have "nail clubbing" as a symptom.  Here are seven possibilities:
  • Cirrhosis Of The Liver
  • Ulcerative Colitis
  • Sarcoidosis
  • Hepatitis
  • Gluten Sensitivity
  • Crohn's Disease
  • Pulmonary Fibrosis

Step 2: Build a Symptom Checklist

We then identify all possible symptoms and risk factors of each possible cause, and check the ones that apply:
frequent episodes of diarrhea
having loose stools
frequent painful cervical nodes
edema of the abdomen
occasional painful urge to defecate
low TIBC
edema of the ankles/lower legs
blood transfusions
seizures
severe meal-induced pain
joint pain/swelling/stiffness
slight bitter taste in mouth
... and more than 110 others

Step 3: Rule Out or Confirm each Possible Cause

A differential diagnosis of your symptoms and risk factors finds the likely cause of nail clubbing:
Cause Probability Status
Cirrhosis Of The Liver 98% Confirm
Sarcoidosis 28% Unlikely
Ulcerative Colitis 14% Unlikely
Gluten Sensitivity 1% Ruled out
Hepatitis 1% Ruled out
Pulmonary Fibrosis 0% Ruled out
Crohn's Disease 0% Ruled out
* This is a simple example to illustrate the process

Arriving at a Correct Diagnosis

The Analyst™ is our online diagnosis tool that learns all about you through a straightforward process of multi-level questioning, providing diagnosis at the end.

If you indicate abnormal fingernails and toenails, The Analyst™ will ask further questions including this one:
Are your fingers or toes 'clubbed', being wider and bulging at the ends? Clubbed fingers or toes have nails that are wider and more rounded than normal, often curving downwards.
Possible responses:
→ No, my fingers are normal width / don't know
→ Yes, slightly
→ Yes, there is very noticeable clubbing
Based on your response to this question, which may indicate either minor digital clubbing or significant digital clubbing, The Analyst™ will consider possibilities such as:
Hepatitis

Chronic hepatitis C can cause nail clubbing.

Concerned or curious about your health?  Try The Analyst™
Symptom Entry
Symptom Entry
Diagnosis
Diagnosis
Suggestions
Suggestions
LifeMeter
LifeMeter®
Full Explanations
Explanations
Optional Doctor Review
Review (optional)
We use cookies for traffic analysis, advertising, and to provide the best user experience