What is Dupuytren's disease?

Did you know? Dupuytren's affects 4% of the UK population.  That's 2.6 million people!

Dupuytren's disease is a common condition affecting 4% of the general UK population, causes the fingers to gradually curl into the palm so that they can no longer be straightened and can be extremely disabling. It is caused by a thickening of the thin layer of tissue which lies under the skin of the palm. The disease first starts in a small area, causing a small, hard lump (nodule) to form under the skin. Although these nodules are harmless, over time they grow into cords of shortened (contracted) tissue which pull the fingers towards the palm. There is large variation in how quickly the disease progresses.

There are currently no effective treatments for early stage disease to slow or prevent progression. Once the disease is advanced, the main way of treating the hand deformity is by surgically removing the contracted tissue or by cutting it using less invasive techniques such as a needle or an enzyme. It can take some time to recover hand function following surgery and the disease tends to come back following the less invasive procedures.

The aim of our work to is develop a treatment for early Dupuytren's that will prevent it progressing and remove the need for surgery.

More information about Dupuytren's disease can be found on the British Dupuytren's Society webpage. 

We are pleased to be featured on their research page.