Terry's nail concern

Hi, I hope you can help me. I have terry's nails on most of my toenails. Not on fingers. I noticed this only recently. The nail looks opaque more or less from the cuticle to 2/3 of  the way along. Then it looks nornal distally. Its obvious on my big toes and I can also see it on the others. I am deeply worried that this is a sign of cirrhosis. I am 43, history of drinking most of a bottle of winf per day fo over ten years so the risk factor is there. Ive been to my GP and he has performed an LFT. Results all normal so he doesn't want to continue with further tests. This fear is taking over my life and he has prescribed anti depressants to help with the anxiety. My question is do Terry's nails occur non pathologically? All information i can locate tells me otherwise.Best regards.

[Jasmina Jankicevic, MD, MSc, CCRP]

Welcome to the Dermatology Expert Forum!  Thank you for your question!

Terry’s nails (white discoloration of the whole nail except 1-2mm of a very end of a nail) are considered a common sign of liver cirrhosis (occurring in up to 82% of patients). Therefore, it is recommended to evaluate the state of liver (history, physical examination, routine testing, imaging techniques, and liver biopsy if necessary), especially if there are elements in patient’s medical history that are risk factors for liver diseases. However, Terry’s nails are frequently seen in non-affected individuals as well. Of course, that does not mean that anybody is safe to continue with taking high doses of alcohol because the list of diseases/disorders caused by alcohol abuse is almost endless.

Please, think about if being fearful and anxious is the productive way to deal with any concern. Also, do you think that taking antidepressants is a real solution? I am not saying you should discontinue use of any medication prior to discussing that in details with your physician; I am merely suggesting that each of us is much more than we sometimes allow ourselves to be.  

Wishing You Optimal Health,
Dr. Jasmina Jankicevic