Nail Problem!!!!!!!!!!!!

My son is 14yrs old, he is not sickly but he is astmatic. This does occur often. Recently we notice that some of his fingernails is turning white from the end of his fingernail to the top. He is not showing an symptoms, or sickness. What is the cause of this?

[Bhupinder Kaur, MD]

Hello,
The symptoms are suggestive of leuconychia. It is a medical term for white discoloration appearing on nails. Causes of leuconychia are trauma to the nail, zinc deficiency, hypoalbuminaemia (low albumin), which is caused by the nephrotic syndrome (a form of kidney failure), liver failure, protein malabsorption and protein-losing enteropathies.  My sincere advice is to consult a physician and get all these possibilities evaluated.

I hope it helps. Take care and God bless.