Everything You Need To Know About The Dupuytrens Disease
Everything you need to know about the Dupuytren’s disease
The Dupuytren’s disease is a condition that targets the palm tissue and is fairly common. However, it can easily extend to one’s knuckles, penis, and the sole of the feet. It is a generally painless genetic condition and not life-threatening. However, it often impairs a person’s functionality. What causes the disease is still unknown. The severity of the disease largely depends on how fast it’s progressing and the extent of the impairment in functionality it is causing. The Dupuytren’s disease occurs in stages, and the later stages are called the Dupuytren’s contracture.
The Dupuytren’s disease often affects the ring fingers or the little fingers. The Dupuytren’s contracture can lead to one or more fingers to become permanently bent toward the palm of one’s hand. The Dupuytren’s disease pictures often help in getting an idea if one is afflicted by this disease. Below is some information that can help one understand the disease better.
How does the Dupuytren’s disease develop?
- As with many painless and common disorders, it starts with a lump developing under the skin on a person’s hand. It could also be a band and it develops slowly over time. The lump one may feel is painless and doesn’t cause much trouble.
However, if it is in the growing stage, one might feel some soreness and swelling. The lump is usually around the connective tissue of the hand. Once enough tissues harden, they affect the cords connecting the patient’s fingers, making them look curved toward the palm.
What are the things that one should know about the Dupuytren’s disease?
- The Dupuytren’s disease is genetic in nature. So if there is a family history of the disease, it is best to get checked for the same regularly. The condition comes from a benign and non-cancerous lump. However, as the progression and early symptoms are all painless, it is less likely to catch it in time. One can notice the disease when there is a feeling of resistance in moving the fingers.
- It is progressive in nature, and the longer one leaves it untreated higher is the impairment.
- The disease also has no known cause, meaning one can only look at personal medical histories and genetic factors to try and understand who may be more at risk, as opposed to asking why the Dupuytren’s disease developed in the first place.
Who can be affected by the Dupuytren’s disease?
- Notable personalities like Margaret Thatcher and Ronald Reagan are just two of the popular people who have suffered from the disease across the world.
- As noted previously, heredity plays a major role as far as this disease is concerned. This goes alongside the fact that the condition is only present with the autosomal dominant. This means that the X or Y chromosome isn’t faulty—one needs to get the exact dominant gene from one of the parents to inherit this condition.
- There are other conditions that increase the risk of developing the Dupuytren’s disease, including the Ledderhose or Dorsal Nodules.
- There is also a demographic divide in those who develop Dupuytren’s disease. The condition commonly seems to affect men over 50 of the northern European descent; thereby, proving that it is genetically pushed forward.
What are the risk factors for the disease?
- All of the above-listed factors are risk factors, but they are unmodifiable and cannot be changed by the person in question.
- There are two main risk factors for the disease that one might have some control over and which will help one reduce the overall risk of developing the disease—alcohol and smoking. Smoking particularly directly affects the blood supply and a decreased blood supply to the hand can easily affect its functions.
- Besides this, epilepsy medication, any direct injuries to the hand, and diabetes can all increase the chances of being affected by the Dupuytren’s.
What are the treatment options for the Dupuytren’s disease?
- There is currently no cure for the Dupuytren’s disease. The disease is not dangerous, and it can be managed with the help of various treatments.
- The treatment options include surgical treatments like fasciotomy and subtotal palmar fasciectomy and non-surgical treatments like taking a steroid injection or splinting.
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