Which term describes fingers and toes broadened with shiny, abnormally curved nails?

• A. Clubbing
• B. Koilonychia
• C. Onycholysis
• D. Paronychia

Answer: (A)

Clubbing refers to changes at the fingertips where the fingers and toes become enlarged and the nails appear shiny and abnormally curved, giving a bulbous look. This occurs because the nail bed undergoes remodeling in response to chronic low oxygen levels, often from long-standing lung or heart disease. The nail plates may become more convex and the angle between the nail base and the nail plate increases, sometimes with a soft, spongy sensation around the nail bed.

This contrasts with other nail conditions: Koilonychia describes spoon-shaped nails typical of iron-deficiency anemia; onycholysis is the lifting of the nail plate away from the nail bed, common with fungal infections or psoriasis; paronychia is infection or inflammation of the skin around the nail.