Ever been tempted to bite that small piece of protruding skin on the side of your nail? Here’s a world of advice: Don’t! Nail-biting or onychophagy is an oral compulsive habit, a harmless reaction that helps us cope with nervousness or excitement. But little did we know that it could kill us. UK resident Luke Hanoman learnt it the hard way when his nail-biting habit caused sepsis, an immune response to harmful bacteria releasing toxins into the bloodstream through infection or a wound. He told BuzzFeed News that he bit off a piece of skin along with the nail, which later got infected.

Soon after this, he started experiencing flu-like symptoms, which included chills, cold sweats and fever. Shrugging it off as a bout of viral infection, Hanoman continued going to work despite feeling very sick. When the symptoms showed no signs of abating, his mother called a National Health Service hotline, after which they had him admitted to a hospital. He was diagnosed with sepsis, which could have potentially caused organ failure and death. He was pumped with antibiotics to destroy the illness-causing bacteria. In the end, he did get better but the doctors reminded him that he was lucky to have survived the life-threatening bout of sepsis.

Although it was the sepsis that nearly killed Hanoman rather than nail-biting, the habit on its own is not very healthy. It’s a common disorder that affects 20-30 percent of the population of all ages. Apart from destroying the nail, nail biting can also adversely affect the oral cavity. The American Journal of Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopedics suggest that nail biting could also be a sign of emotional imbalance. Here are some of the ways in which this habit could affect your overall health.

1 Skin Infection

Biting the nail can damage the skin around it. Our mouths are filled with bacteria, some of which can enter the skin and cause inflammation. If your immune system is not strong enough to fend of the harmful bacteria, it could cause paronychia, an infection of the hand. It leads to a localised, pus-filled abscess around your finger.

2 Digestive Problems

Nail biters are always warned against transferring germs from under their fingernails into their mouth. A 2007 study conducted by Turkish scientists found out that people who bit their nails have dangerous bacteria such as E Coli in their saliva. Around 76 percent of the ones who bit their nails had these harmful pathogens in their mouth. These bacteria cause digestive health disorders such as diarrhoea and vomiting.

3 Dental Damage

Nail biting doesn’t harm the nail and the skin around it. It can also cause damage to your teeth. Cases of tooth fractures, tooth loss and displaced jaws have been reported in chronic nail biters.

4 Skin Damage

Your saliva contains a certain enzyme called amylase that helps in breaking down the starch in the food we eat. That way, digestion starts even before the food reaches the stomach. Constantly putting your fingers in your mouth while biting nails can have a corrosive effect on the skin around it, which can also lead to inflammation.

5 You Could Get an STD

Imagine getting a sexually transmitted disease without having sex. It’s possible through nail-biting. There are cases where people contracted herpes after chewing on their fingernails. It is, in fact, the commonest viral disease spread by nail-biting. The virus spreads not only around the mouth it can also spread to their fingers in a condition called herpetic whitlow.

6 You May Ingest Toxic Chemicals

Many of the nail biters who paint their nails may also worsen their health by ingesting all the chemical varnish and the pigments. Chemicals like toluene, butyl acetate, ethyl acetate and dibutyl phthalates in these nail polishes can be harmful if swallowed. Prolonged nail-biting in such people may cause kidney problems, gastrointestinal disturbances, neural damage, reproductive issues and even cancer.

7 It Could Cause Bad Breath

A report shows that constant nail biting can end up damaging the gums or the gingiva. Gingivitis is the inflammation of the gums, and if you don’t keep in in check, you could suffer from halitosis or bad breath.

8 You Could Lose Your Nail

Fingernails tend to grow throughout life. But if you keep biting it, it could be worn down to just a stub. And eventually, the nail will stop growing, and you could lose your nail forever.

As simple as it may seem, nail biting is not a problem can be solved overnight. Sometimes, coating your nail with bitter-tasting things may discourage you from putting your fingers in the mouth, but it’s not an effective technique. Your best bet is to address the psychological problem that’s causing it in the first place. Psychotherapy can be of help; so approach a mental health expert to help you fix the problem if it is beyond your control.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on May 04, 2018 02:40 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).