Koilonychia (Washboard Nails)

Koilonychia (Hordinsky, Sawaya, and Scher, 2000)

What Is Koilonychia?

Koilonychia is a feature of an iron deficiency state characterized by abnormally shaped nails, called spoon shaped nails, meaning that the normal downward curve is reversed.

Depending on the inadequacy of iron, nails may simply remain flat or with a slight dip without progressing to a reversed curve.

These nails develop vertical ridges from the base to the nail tip that can become deep, called washboard nails.

Q: Are all nails affected?

A: All nails are affected in varying degrees. The small finger shows the least effect while the thumb shows the greatest change which begins as flattening before scooping upward.

Nail Anatomy. .

A. Nail plate; B. lunula; C. root; D. sinus; E. matrix; F. nail bed; G. hyponychium; H. free margin. Courtesy Wikipedia.

What Is Koilonychia In Celiac Disease and/or Gluten Sensitivity?

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