A doctor has reported a dangerous war:ning to anyone who bites their nails after one woman contracted a ‘d3adly infection’.
Karen Peat, who hails from Scotland, revealed just how serve the common routine can be, sharing images of her friend’s seriously swollen finger.
In the post, Karen shared that her mate was rushed to Glasgow Royal Infirmary where they had emergency surgery on the infected finger after initially seeking advice from two pharmacists.
According the stomach-churning pics, she claimed (via the Mirror): “A message to nail biters out there STOP!!!”
“Someone I know who prefers to remain nameless who bites their nails ended up having to get rushed to Glasgow Royal Infirmary today for emergency surgery because they had bitten their nails down too far and had got an infection in the finger.
“This person had been to two chemists and spoken to two separate pharmacists over the past few days who had advised to use magnesium sulphate and keep it covered it still got worse and when finally went to the A&E this morning was told if left much longer it could have been fatal as the infection was travelling up the arm hence the emergency surgery!
“So please please stop biting your nails!!”
The reasons why people bite their nails
Nail biting, or onychophagia, is a type of self-care behaviour and the reasons behind it are unclear.
“Some experts believe that it is associated with anxiety or nervousness, but some studies don’t support this,” she added.
“It seems to be the result of boredom or working on difficult problems rather than anxiety.”
The health concerned about biting your nails
Nail biting can lead to problems with the teeth in extreme cases and make you more prone to getting ill as it’s hard to keep your fingers constantly clean before biting.
“One of the main concerns of biting your nails is destroying the skin and soft tissue around the nail bed, leading to infections around the nail.”
The reasons why the woman’s infection so dangerous
Dr Claire shared that Karen contracted a ‘very terrible deep infection’ that had spread.
“Sometimes, infections go too deep to be treated by creams or even by antibiotics, they can form an abscess which needs to be drained in order to heal.
“Deep seated or spreading infections can get worse extremely quickly and in very serious cases, they can lead to a whole body infection that can be life or limb threatening.”
The common of this infections
Minor infections around the nail bed, or paronychias, are very popular in people who bite their nails.
However, it is very rare for a paronychia to develop to a really serious infection that demands surgery or hospitalisation.
