Are ‘COVID Nails’ a Real Symptom? Here’s the Long and Short of It

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Some people have reported lines on their nails after developing COVID-19. Rg Studio/Getty Images
  • People have reported many symptoms following a COVID-19 infection. The latest one identified is the appearance of lines and grooves in the fingernails, which people are calling “COVID nails.”
  • The condition is also called “Beau’s lines,” and experts say the condition isn’t exclusively associated with COVID.
  • It can occur after any viral infection, injury, or as a result of an underlying health condition.

People have reported a broad range of symptoms after experiencing COVID-19, from hair loss and reduced energy levels to loss of smell. Now many are reporting a new post-infection condition.

A U.K. expert on COVID-19 recently made headlines after he cautioned that COVID-19 could leave marks behind on your nails.

“Do your nails look odd? COVID nails are increasingly being recognized as the nails recover after infection and the growth recovers leaving a clear line. Can occur without skin rashes and appears harmless,” Dr. Tim Spector, principal investigator of the PREDICT studies and the ZOE COVID Symptom Study app, recently posted to social media.

But this symptom isn’t limited to people with COVID-19.

Appearing as grooves or lines in your nails, the condition, also called “Beau’s lines,” can develop in people who’ve experienced a viral infection.

Source: healthline