What is the Cause of Pale Fingernails?

What Causes Pale Fingernails?

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

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Diagnosis is usually a complex process due to the sheer number of possible causes and related symptoms. In order to diagnose pale fingernails, 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 "pale fingernails" as a symptom. Here are seven possibilities:

Anemia
Liver Cancer
Cirrhosis Of The Liver
Congestive Heart Failure
Iron Need
Need For Dietary Improvement
Hepatitis

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:

moderate abdominal pain

high processed meat consumption

soft drink consumption

waking up with choking sensation

moderate right lumbar pain

congestive heart failure

hepatitis A

itchy skin

past calcium-based antacid use

grilled meat consumption

regular unexplained nausea

severe fatigue after slight exertion

... and more than 70 others

Step 3: Rule Out or Confirm each Possible Cause

A differential diagnosis of your symptoms and risk factors finds the likely cause of pale fingernails:

Cause	Probability	Status
Congestive Heart Failure	96%	Confirm
Iron Need	28%	Unlikely
Anemia	16%	Unlikely
Hepatitis	3%	Ruled out
Need For Dietary Improvement	1%	Ruled out
Liver Cancer	1%	Ruled out
Cirrhosis Of The Liver	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 fingernails more pale than they should be? Normal nail beds are a strong pink color. You could try comparing your nails those of other people.

Possible responses:

→ No, my nail beds are a healthy pink / don't know
→ Yes, my nail beds are a little pale / light pink
→ Yes, my nail beds are very pale / almost white

Based on your response to this question, which may indicate either pale fingernails or very pale fingernails, The Analyst™ will consider possibilities such as:

Anemia

Cirrhosis of the Liver

Congestive Heart Failure

Consequences of Poor Diet

Malnutrition can cause pale fingernails.

Hepatitis

Iron Requirement

Liver Cancer

Concerned or curious about your health? Try The Analyst™