Risk factors of Dupuytrens Contraction or Contracture:
The following are the factors that cause a higher probability of an incidence in Dupuytrens contracture.
First of all, there is age. This commonly afflicts those of ages 50 and over. Then there is gender. Men are more susceptible to develop Dupuytren’s, and contractures in men are bound to be more severe than in women.
Also, there is a particular ancestry that it commonly afflicts. The Northern European descent is at a higher risk of this disease as compared to any other race.
Dupuytrens is genetic, and a high probability of occurrence is existent, especially when Dupuytrens Contraction or Contracture is a heredo-familial disease. Smoking and alcoholism also increase the risk. Lastly, many people diagnosed with Diabetes have also reported increased susceptibility to Dupuytrens Contraction or contracture.
Complications of Dupuytrens Contraction or Contracture
Dupuytren’s Contraction or contracture can make the performance of certain tasks using your hand impossible. Many people, at first, do not experience much disability or inconvenience with predominantly hand-using activities such as writing.
But as Dupuytren’s contracture advances, it can decrease one’s capacity to fully open the hand and make it challenging to grasp certain objects or get the hand into narrow spaces.
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Preparing for an appointment for Dupuytrens Contraction
Usually, you may first request a referral from your family doctor to a specialist for this kind of affliction. Once you are ready to have that medical appointment, write the answers to the questions below to help the specialist diagnose and determine the appropriate treatment for your condition.
- When did the symptoms arise?
- Have they been getting bigger or worse?
- Does something improve or worsen it?
- How does the contracture impede your activities of daily living?
During the physical exam, the doctor will visually inspect the hands, relate them to each other, and inspect for any crumpling or puckering on the palms. The doctor will also palpate the different hands and fingers’ different regions to check for hardened lumps, knots, or bands of tissue.
Tests and diagnosis
The only diagnostic procedure employed to check Dupuytrens Contraction or contracture is composed of a simple maneuver called the tabletop test, which can determine if a person has contracture in the hand.
If a patient can lay their hand, palm down, and flat on a tabletop, the patient is free from a contracture. Doctors can mostly diagnose Dupuytren’s contracture by simply visual inspection and palpation of hands.
Treatments and drugs
If the disease advances sluggishly, causes no pain, and especially if it has little to no impact on the ability to use your hands for everyday tasks, you may not need any drastic treatment.
You may choose to wait and check if the Dupuytrens Contraction or contracture progresses, or you may have radiation therapy which is the most advisable for the early stages of this disease.
