Chinese Master: “Your Big Toe Tells a lot About Your Health”

“The toes and toenails provide clues that there could be something going on that patients might not realize,” says Tracey Vlahovic, a clinical professor at the Temple University School of Podiatric Medicine in Philadelphia.Tingling, numbness or burning are classic signs of peripheral neuropathy caused by diabetes, Markinson says. High blood sugar injures nerves throughout the body, particularly the extremities. Loss of sensation is a key factor in the development of diabetic foot infections, Markinson says.

On the foot, melanoma is most likely to develop on the big toe, but it can affect other toes and hide out between the digits, Markinson says. Acral melanoma is the most common type of melanoma among people of color. 

Fortunately, “just 1 to 3 percent of those pigmented bands are malignant,” Markinson say

Nail beds that are partly white and partly red, pink or brown are called half-and-half, or Lindsay’s nails, Vlahovic says. Research suggests that they occur in 20 to 50 percent of patients with chronic kidney disease. 

White or pale nails with a band of pink or brown, called Terry’s nails, are similar to half-and-half nails, but “we typically see more whiteness and just a couple of millimeters of normal nail bed color,” Vlahovic says. The condition is a tip-off to liver diseases such as hepatitis and cirrhosis.

Research suggests that they occur in 20 to 50 percent of patients with chronic kidney disease. 

https://www.aarp.org/health/conditions-treatments/info-2023/what-toes-and-toenails-can-say-about-your-health.html