What is Dupuytren’s Disease? • Benign thickening and shortening of the palmar fascia leading to digital contractures • Early phase with nodule and cord development, skin retraction • Late phase with formation of contracture Who gets Dupuytren’s disease? • Genetic predisposition – Especially in those of Northern European origin – Males > Females • Age – Wide range – Increases with age – Average age of onset 50 – 70 years • Occurrence – Common

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Introduction to
Dupuytren’s Disease
Richard Shaffer
Clinical Oncologist

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What is Dupuytren’s Disease?
• Benign thickening and shortening of the palmar fascia
leading to digital contractures
• Early phase with nodule and cord development,
skin retraction
• Late phase with formation of contracture

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Proximal cord
Nodules
Normal (tented) skin
Distal cord
Early disease

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Garrod’s
pads
More extensive
disease with skin
retraction

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Loss of Hyperextension = inability to bend
finger backwards past “neutral” position
1. Hyperextension 2. Loss of
hyperextension
3. Complete loss of
hyperextension

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Contracture = fixed bending of fingers

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Who gets Dupuytren’s disease?
• Genetic predisposition
– Especially in those of Northern European origin
– Males > Females
• Age
– Wide range
– Increases with age
– Average age of onset 50 – 70 years
• Occurrence
– Common

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Other contributory factors
• Smoking
• Alcohol (excess)
• Diabetes
• Manual labour (vibration)
• Hand trauma

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Linked conditions
• Ledderhose (which is Dupuytren’s disease on the foot)
• Peyronies disease (pain and bending of the penis)
• Frozen shoulder
• Garrod’s pads (painful nodules on the knuckles)

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The course of Dupuytren’s is unpredictable
• Some people have no symptoms, and others have pain
• Some people never get progression past having nodules and/or
cords
• Some people get contracture and need surgical (or other) release,
and some may even recur after surgery

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The disease is more likely to progress if…
• You are male
• Young age of onset (less than 50 years old)
• You have Dupuytren’s on your other hand
• Or other sites e.g. Ledderhose (foot), Peyronie’s (penis)
• Your immediate family suffer from Dupuytren’s disease; brother,
sister, Mother or Father