What’s wrong with the white spots on my two-year-old baby’s fingernails?

We all know that the color of fingernails is often pink, and there is a white crescent inside. Don't underestimate this crescent, because it is often related to human health. Many parents have found that their babies have some white spots on their nails, but they don’t know why, so they can’t easily treat their children. So, what's the matter with the white spots on the fingernails of a two-year-old baby?

Many careful parents have questions and concerns about this condition on their children's nails. Although there is no clear medical explanation for the growth of white spots on the nails, we have found in clinical work that some children with calcium and zinc deficiency will experience this condition. It is recommended that you take your child to the hospital for trace element testing to determine the cause of the disease and receive appropriate treatment.

Children's growth and development cannot be separated from six major nutritional elements: protein, fat, starch, vitamins, mineral elements and dietary fiber. Mineral elements play an all-round role in human growth and development, from the construction and repair of body tissues to physiological metabolism and enhancing immune function, and even have a direct role in preventing and curing diseases. Mineral elements whose daily requirement accounts for more than one ten-thousandth of the human body weight are called macroelements (such as calcium, magnesium, etc.), and those below one ten-thousandth are called trace elements. Among the 14 essential trace elements currently confirmed by the World Health Organization (WHO), zinc ranks first. White spots on the nails are usually not a specific disease, but may be a symptom associated with mineral deficiency. A comprehensive analysis should also be conducted to see if there are other changes in the body. For example, some parents have reported that their children are easily awakened during night sleep, sweat a lot, and suffer from leg pain and cramps after strenuous exercise. These are all manifestations of calcium deficiency, also known as growing pains. Symptoms of zinc deficiency in children include dull skin, dry and yellow hair, ringworm on the face, poor appetite, slow growth and development, decreased immune function, and susceptibility to illness. At present, the hospital's method of checking trace elements and calcium is simple, and only a drop of peripheral blood is needed to detect them.

If a child shows the above symptoms, they can be detected and treated early. As the saying goes, "Food supplements are worse than medicine supplements." To prevent children from calcium and trace element deficiencies, we should pay attention to diversifying their dietary intake, combining coarse and fine grains reasonably, balancing the intake of nutrients such as vegetables, fruits, meat, eggs, etc., and correcting bad habits of partial eating and picky eating. You can regularly eat calcium-rich foods such as shellfish, soybeans, milk, nuts, kelp, beef, etc.; and zinc-supplementing foods such as oysters, pork liver, fish, high-zinc eggs, chestnuts, walnuts, red dates, eels, sea cucumbers, yeast zinc, etc. In addition, sunbathing can effectively help calcium absorption. It is best to engage in outdoor activities for two hours a day, which can not only enhance physical fitness but also prevent rickets.

Leukonychia: The nail plate appears with white spots or lines or turns completely white. It is often related to trauma, infection, anemia, nutritional deficiency, arsenic poisoning, parasites and certain systemic diseases. It can also be inherited.

If you are deficient in iron, you should supplement iron; if you have worms, you should deworm; and if you have worms, you should increase your nutrition such as milk, eggs, and high-quality protein.