Dupuytren’s disease

Dupuytren’s disease is a hand disease that causes progressive flexion of the fingers, especially the ring and little finger, although it can affect all fingers, and prevents the patient from fully opening the hand.

Its occurrence may be due to multiple factors, hereditary being one of them. It is also sometimes associated with the intake of certain medications, diseases such as diabetes, smoking, alcoholism, but at other times no cause related to the onset of the disease is found.

Symptomatology of Dupuytren’s disease

In Dupuytren’s contracture there is a thickening of the fibrous tissue of the palm of the hand that is superficial to the flexor tendons, the tendons being normal although the growth of this fibrous tissue prevents their normal mobility.

The onset of the disease is usually painless, and may be in this phase for a long time. Later, nodules may begin to develop in the palm, and if the disease continues to develop, cords of subcutaneous fibrous tissue are created that begin to limit the mobility of the hand. The patient cannot rest the palm of the hand fully extended on a plane, has difficulty grasping objects and fully opening the hand. The development of daily activities of daily life such as eating, shaking hands, personal hygiene, or develop certain manual activities are performed with some difficulty.

It is advisable to go to a specialist in Traumatology for the evaluation of the symptoms, since if the disease is left to evolve the subsequent treatment is usually more complicated, with greater risks and with worse results for the patient.

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What does the treatment of Dupuytren’s disease consist of?

The treatment of Dupuytren’s disease today in the hands of specialists who are used to it aims at returning the patient to a situation where he/she can lead a NORMAL life, without limitations resulting from the disease. This goal should be achieved in most cases.

The treatment depends on the specific case, but we have different options, all of them trying that the treatment is performed following the principles of minimally invasive surgery, so that the patient recovers as soon as possible and can return to their daily activities and sports normally.

In this way the aesthetic sequelae are virtually nonexistent. It is a surgery that should be performed in the context of outpatient surgery without the need for admission or prolonged hospitalization.