Pitted fingernails can have various causes, ranging in severity from 'worrying' to 'serious'. Finding the true cause means ruling out or confirming each possibility – in other words, diagnosis.
Diagnosis is usually a complex process due to the sheer number of possible causes and related symptoms. In order to diagnose pitted fingernails, we could:
Cause | Probability | Status |
---|---|---|
Ankylosing Spondylitis | 95% | Confirm |
Rheumatoid Arthritis | 71% | Possible |
Psoriatic Arthritis | 25% | Unlikely |
Alopecia | 0% | Ruled out |
Psoriasis | 0% | Ruled out |
Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis | 0% | Ruled out |
Is the surface of your nails pitted with small 'dents'?
Possible responses:
→ Don't know→ No → Yes |
Nail pitting may be an early sign of psoriasis.