From the Research
Dupuytren's contracture is strongly associated with diabetes mellitus, with diabetic patients having a higher prevalence of the condition, as evidenced by a study published in the Journal of hand surgery (Edinburgh, Scotland) in 2004 1. The condition is most commonly linked to genetic predisposition, particularly in people of Northern European descent. Some key conditions and risk factors associated with Dupuytren's contracture include:
- Diabetes mellitus, with an increased risk for medicinally treated diabetes, particularly insulin-controlled diabetes 1
- Age, with the condition typically appearing after age 50 and increasing in prevalence with advancing age
- Male sex, with a ratio of about 3:1 compared to women
- Manual labor and hand trauma, which may trigger or worsen the condition in predisposed individuals
- Liver disease, particularly alcoholic liver disease, which shows a correlation with Dupuytren's
- Certain anti-epileptic medications, such as phenobarbital, which have been associated with higher rates of the contracture 2 However, it's worth noting that epilepsy itself is not significantly associated with Dupuytren's disease, as found in the study published in the Journal of hand surgery (Edinburgh, Scotland) in 2004 1. The connection between these conditions and Dupuytren's contracture likely involves complex interactions between genetic susceptibility and environmental triggers that affect collagen production and fibroblast activity in the palmar fascia. A study published in the Nigerian journal of medicine in 2007 3 highlights the occurrence of Dupuytren's contracture as a rare manifestation of diabetic hand syndrome in a patient with type 2 diabetes mellitus. Another study published in the Journal of hand surgery in 1996 4 found that lysophosphatidic acid is a potent agonist of Dupuytren's fibroblast contraction, and that this contraction can be inhibited by specific pharmacologic agents, such as calcium channel blockers and prostaglandins. Overall, the association between diabetes mellitus and Dupuytren's contracture is well-established, and diabetic patients should be carefully examined for early diagnosis and treatment of the condition 1, 3, 5.