Kickas.org Forums Ankylosing Spondylitis General Discussion #1 AS Web Support Group Beaus lines on thumb nails?

Does anyone have these raised horizontal lines on their nails? I have them on my thumb nails,seeing rheumie Thursday, should I mention it to him?

I currently have an impressive set of DEEP Beau's lines on the thumb and index finger of my left hand. They are now about halfway up my nail, which would correlate with trauma to these 2 fingers approx 12 weeks ago, when I slashed the webspace of my left hand rather deeply with a large chef's knife. (a nasty kitchen accident...)

I severed the digital artery (and nerve, as well as a couple of muscle bellies..)so the nail bed blood supply to those digits would have been interrupted for some time until the plastic surgeon did wonders with his operating microscope!

They are usually the result of some sort of trauma that disrupts blood supply - either a direct force or maybe an altered state - did you have a fever or major flare some time ago??? The nail grows @ 0.1 mm / day, so 1 mm for every 10 days or 1 cm after 100 days.

They aren't usually pathological, so are of no diagnostic value....

I have them, not from trauma, but from disease (psoriasis). Of course you should mention them, along with other information you provide to your doctor. A list of some of the causes are:
Beta blockers
Chemotherapy
Coronary occlusion
Diabetes mellitus
Hypocalcaemia
Infections
Malnutrition
Psoriasis
Trauma

Wow, I just learned a lot on this Mayo site about finger nails:

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/nails/WO00055

if its pitting, psoriasis can cause that.

if its Beaus lines, seems like a number of things can cause it (some of which inkyfinger listed plus a few other things).

if they look obvious, I'd show them to the doctor and ask the doctor if he/she thinks its a clue to anything important, rheumatologically speaking.