If you saw the annoying habit of gnawing at your nails, you have certainly heard this sentence: “If you eat your nails, you risk appendicitis!“. Is it a truth or a simple myth? True Medical asked Dr. Gérald Kierzek, emergency doctor and medical director of the site.
Why do you eat your nails?
In medical jargon, the fact of gnawing your nails is called “onychophagy”. It is a gesture linked to anxiety, stress or boredom. “”This habit often appears in childhood and can be maintained in adulthood ” Specifies Dr Gérald Kierzek.
“”Creating the nails responds to a need for emotional management or unconscious automation, sometimes associated with behavioral disorders such as OCD or certain anxiety -provoking periods “specifies the doctor again.
The real dangers of onychophagy
So do we risk appendicitis, by dint of biting your nails? According to Dr. Gérald Kierzek, the answer is no. “”Creating your nails does not cause appendicitis: it is a popular myth without recognized medical foundation “.
But caution all the same: if onychophagy does not cause appendicitis, it is not without consequences. Dr. Kierzek recalls that it can cause micro-trauma with a risk of permanent deformations of nails and teeth.
“”It also promotes oral, gingival, periodontal or skin infections, because the germs present under the nails are found in the mouth or around the nail “ he warns. “”The lesions can be painful, cause local inflammation and sometimes evolve towards a panaris“.
In addition, in winter, this gesture also increases the portage of seasonal viruses, further weakening health.
Appendicitis, a completely different story
The appendicitis, on the other hand, results from an inflammation of the appendix, generally due to an obstruction of its orifice. “”The most frequent cause is the stagnation of food residues or local infections, not the ingestion of elements such as nails, which would be a rare scenario “ reassures our expert.
In some cases, obstruction can be linked to lymphoid thickening or the accumulation of faeces, and exceptionally to the ingestion of foreign bodies as seeds.
Even if swallowing a nail fragment could in theory constitute a foreign body, this mechanism does not correspond to the usual process of the disease. “”There is no scientific evidence that nailing for a appendicitis“Insists Dr. Kierzek.
The essential message is clear: onychophagy is harmful to oral and skin health, but its link with appendicitis is nonexistent.