A doctor has revealed that a sign of serious heart disease could be detected in your nails.
Dr Joe, an American emergency response doctor who has 2 million followers on TikTok, warned that detecting a red pulsation when pressing on your nails was a “bad sign”.
Dr. Joe explained that, medically called Quincke’s sign, it is a sign of a potentially serious heart condition where the organ has to work harder than usual.
“When you press down on the nail, it causes a pulsation in the nail bed and this is due to something called aortic regurgitation,” he said.
He continued: “As blood leaves the heart to go to the body, a significant portion of it actually flows back to the heart and this can cause a number of problems.”
These problems can range from relatively mild problems, such as shortness of breath and fatigue, to heart failure and even death.
Aortic insufficiency is a relatively common condition in the population and some studies estimate that approximately one in 20 people suffer from some form of it.
However, severity varies and it is estimated that only one in 200 people have the most severe levels.
It is most commonly diagnosed in people aged between 40 and 60, with men at slightly higher risk. According to estimates by the National Health Service, in the UK approximately 1.5 million people over the age of 65 suffer from some form of the disease.
The condition itself is caused by a weakness in the heart’s aortic valves, meaning they do not close properly, leading to regurgitation, or backflow of blood into the organ.
Over time it can cause the heart to weaken.
Due to the extra work, and therefore the effort, that the organ must perform to pump blood through these weakened valves.
The causes of the weakening that leads to aortic insufficiency vary.
Sometimes it is congenital, meaning people are born with it, it is the result of an infection that weakens the heart, or it is the direct result of a physical injury to the chest.
In addition to Quincke’s sign, other symptoms of aortic regurgitation include general fatigue, weakness and shortness of breath with exercise, irregular heartbeat or palpitations, dizziness or fainting, and swelling of the ankles and feet.
Dr Joe explained that this symptom, medically called “Quincke’s syndrome,” is a sign of a potentially serious heart condition where the organ has to work harder than normal. File image
People experiencing these symptoms are advised to contact their GP immediately as they are also general signs of a potentially serious heart problem.
Diagnosing aortic regurgitation usually involves tests that measure how your heart is functioning, as well as scans that look at its structure.
Treatment varies depending on the severity of the condition.
Those with milder disease may only need semi-regular checks of their heart health, as well as general advice to keep their heart healthy and reduce the risk of the condition getting worse.
Some patients may also be prescribed medications to help combat side effects.
However, those with a more severe degree of aortic regurgitation may need to undergo surgery to repair their aortic valves or even replace them completely with an artificial one.