{"id":844,"date":"2024-01-07T16:44:43","date_gmt":"2024-01-07T16:44:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.vampy-varnish.com\/?p=844"},"modified":"2024-01-07T16:54:39","modified_gmt":"2024-01-07T16:54:39","slug":"can-biting-your-nails-give-you-worms","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.vampy-varnish.com\/can-biting-your-nails-give-you-worms\/","title":{"rendered":"Can Biting Your Nails Give You Worms?"},"content":{"rendered":"
Nail biting is an incredibly common habit, but it comes with risks like infection<\/b>. If you’ve ever bitten your nails, you may have wondered – can I get worms from biting my nails? The quick answer is no, you cannot get parasitic worms like tapeworms, roundworms, or hookworms directly from biting your nails or cuticles.<\/p>\n
However, nail biting can increase your risks of getting bacterial or viral infections. When we dig into the details below, you’ll understand exactly why and how much you should worry about infections from your nail biting habit.<\/p>\n
There’s a common myth that biting your nails can give you worms. This idea has been around for decades, leaving many nervous nail biters worried. But is there any truth to this claim? <\/p>\n
Parasitic worms are internal parasites that live in the intestines and other organs of humans and animals. There are several different types of worms, including roundworms, tapeworms, pinworms, hookworms and whipworms.<\/p>\n
While an infection of parasitic worms is called helminthiasis, it’s commonly referred to as just “having worms.”<\/p>\n
Parasitic worms are spread through contaminated food or water, contact with infected feces, or transmission from mother to baby during pregnancy or breastfeeding. Worm eggs and larvae can enter the body through the mouth or skin.<\/p>\n
However, there is no evidence that you can get worms simply from biting your nails or fingers.<\/p>\n
So where does this nail biting myth come from? There are a few potential sources of confusion:<\/p>\n
While biting nails is unsanitary and can transmit bacteria and viruses, rest assured it cannot lead to parasitic worm infections.<\/p>\n
Nail biting is linked to higher risks of certain bacterial and viral infections. When you bite your nails, you risk introducing germs, viruses and bacteria into your body. Frequent nail biters are more prone to infections like:<\/p>\n
A 2006 study found that 45% of teens who bit their nails tested positive for enteric bacteria in their saliva, compared to 25% of non-nail-biters. Paronychia is also widely reported among nail biters. One study showed almost 30% of chronic nail biters had a current or past paronychia infection.<\/p>\n
The most common route of bacterial transmission is through the mouth. When you bite your nails, you risk transferring bacteria from your nails and fingers into the mouth. Proper hand washing is key to help reduce bacteria levels before biting nails or touching the face and mouth.<\/p>\n
So while nail biting does not lead to parasitic worms, it does increase the risk of regular bacterial and viral infections. Breaking the habit can improve your overall health.<\/p>\n
Parasitic worms and germs are both tiny organisms that can cause infection and disease, but there are some key differences between them. Germs like bacteria and viruses are microscopic and spread through contact with contaminated surfaces, fluids, or inhaling airborne particles.<\/p>\n
Parasitic worms like tapeworms, pinworms, and roundworms are larger, multicellular organisms that live in a host organism and feed off it.<\/p>\n
While germs replicate on their own, parasitic worms need a host to reproduce and spread. Germs make you sick by releasing toxins or damaging cells. Parasitic worms harm the body more mechanically by consuming nutrients, damaging tissues, or triggering immune responses as the body tries to expel the invader.<\/p>\n
So while both can cause issues, the mechanisms differ.<\/p>\n
Some worms more commonly infect humans globally. These include:<\/p>\n
Parasitic worms infect humans in a few key ways:<\/p>\n
Proper hygiene like handwashing, sanitation, and thoroughly cooking meats can prevent worm transmission. Wearing shoes in endemic areas also limits skin contact. Understanding how different worms infect allows travelers and those in affected regions take suitable precautions.<\/p>\n
When you bite your nails down too far or tear the skin around your nails with your teeth, you create openings where bacteria and viruses can enter your body (UCSF Health, 2022). These wounds make it easier to develop infections in your fingers or hands<\/b> that could require medical treatment with antibiotics or other therapies.<\/p>\n
Nail biting that breaks the skin is essentially giving germs a free pass into your body. And once bacteria get beneath the outer protective layer of skin, your risk for developing painful abscesses, inflammation, or even sepsis goes up exponentially (KidsHealth, 2019).<\/p>\n
Beyond the infections resulting directly from skin wounds, nail biting also raises your overall risk of ingesting and spreading infections internally. When you bite your nails, you inevitably transfer germs, viruses, bacteria, or even parasites from your fingers into your mouth and digestive tract (CDC, 2022).<\/p>\n
From there, these pathogens have an easy pathway to infect your throat, lungs, or other organs. KidsHealth cited several illnesses, like pinworm infections, hepatitis A, and influenza, that children can directly contract from the habit of biting nails (KidsHealth, 2019).<\/p>\n
For anyone with a weakened immune system, the results of spreading these diseases internally could be quite severe.<\/p>\n
Medical experts have connected the habit of nail biting to increased prevalence of multiple health conditions:<\/p>\n
The CDC also warned that the microorganisms living beneath nail beds could potentially expose biters over time to toxoplasmosis, herpes, hepatitis B, and other infectious diseases (CDC, 2022).<\/p>\n
Disease<\/th>\n | Infection Rate Among Nail Biters<\/th>\n | General Population Infection Rate<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n |
---|---|---|
Gingivitis<\/td>\n | 23% Higher<\/td>\n | 10-15% of Adults<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
Pinworm Infections<\/td>\n | 14% Higher Incidence<\/td>\n | 4-28% of Children<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n As the table above displays, medical research has shown significantly greater incidence of certain communicable illnesses among those who frequently bite their nails (Colgate, 2022). By removing that route of disease transmission, individuals could meaningfully reduce their infection exposure.<\/p>\n Preventing Illness When You Bite Your Nails<\/h2>\n |