A nurse notices that the angle of the patient's proximal nail fold and the nail plate are almost a flat line; about 160 degrees. How does the nurse interpret this finding?

Question

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The expected angle of the nail base is 160 degrees. This patient has chronic pulmonary disease, which causes clubbing (when the angle of the nail base exceeds 180 degrees). Option C describes Beau lines, which appear as a groove or transverse depression running across the nail. It results from a stressor that temporarily impairs nail formation. Option D is associated with anemia, which causes koilonychia, a thin, depressed nail with the lateral edges turned upward.

A Nurse Notices That the Angle of the Patient's Proximal