Your hands can reveal a lot about you, from the roughness and calluses that develop from years of physical work to the softness that comes from a comfortable life. But they can also indicate the beginning of serious health problems such as heart disease and lung cancer.
Heart disease is the second leading cause of death in the UK after dementia, causing more than 60,000 deaths each year from related conditions. While genetics can affect the likelihood of developing heart disease, early diagnosis can lead to preventive measures such as dietary changes or medication.
Lung cancer is the fifth leading cause of death in the UK, causing the premature death of 95 people every day. In addition to quitting smoking to reduce your risk of developing lung cancer or mesothelioma, early detection of symptoms and consultation with your doctor can increase survival rates by up to 20 times.
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Although your hands are far from the center of these health problems, they can show a variety of symptoms that indicate something is seriously wrong with your body. While most of these symptoms are harmless, there are some signs of health problems that should always be brought to the attention of a medical professional.
Changes in the shape or color of your fingers can be a sign of a number of conditions, many of which are harmless but some can be life-threatening. If your fingers or tendons start to swell, it may be time to consult your doctor, Gloucestershire Live reports.
finger stick
When the tips of your fingers or toes begin to swell and the skin around your nails becomes shiny, this is called finger clubbing, digital clubbing, or sometimes Hippocrates’ fingers. Clubbing often changes the shape and angle of the toenail as the top of the toe swells; The nail often turns red and feels warm.
Clubbing usually develops gradually over several years, but a lung abscess can trigger a sudden onset. According to Mount Sinai Hospital, lung cancer is the most common cause of clubbing, but it can signal other conditions, and not everyone with the disease will develop clubbing.
It usually starts at the base of the nail before spreading, causing the nails to curl more than usual. However, there is a simple test to determine if a curve on your finger is crooked; Press your nails together and if you see a small, diamond-shaped light gap, your fingers are most likely normal.
Clubbing of fingers and toes can indicate heart and thyroid problems, as well as problems with lung cancer and mesothelioma, with Cancer Research UK describing it as an “unusual” condition. They recommend: “If you think you might have it and you’re worried, talk to your doctor.”
“They can examine you and find out any other symptoms you may have. If necessary, they can arrange tests such as a chest X-ray to examine your lungs.”
Once the root cause of the clubbing is addressed, the swelling should subside.
swollen joints
High cholesterol levels in your body can usually only be detected with a blood test performed by your doctor. However, for those with an inherited condition known as familial hypercholesterolemia, eating too much takeout and neglecting personal care can cause swollen finger joints.
This is called tendon xanthoma; This is a condition caused by cholesterol buildup around your tendons and can affect the joints in your hands, knees, and Achilles tendon. Although high cholesterol levels and the resulting heart disease are often linked to older adults, swelling can begin in early adulthood if you are one of the 220,000 people in the UK with this genetic condition.
Research shows that people with the condition often experience arterial thickening due to high cholesterol levels from the age of 11, according to an NHS study. This makes it crucial to identify these symptoms and implement the necessary lifestyle changes to counteract them.
Only eight percent of those with this familial condition were recognized by the health service; so if you notice that your knuckles are swollen and you have other yellowish bumps on your hands or around your eyes, it may be worth getting checked out. But for most Brits, the only way to determine your cholesterol levels is to have a blood test performed by a healthcare professional.
The American Academy of Dermatology emphasized that swelling in the feet and lower legs can be a sign of heart disease: “Many diseases of the heart cause fluid to accumulate in your feet and lower legs. As the fluid builds, swelling can extend to the upper legs and groin.”
This swelling “may be better in the morning and get worse later in the day,” according to the NHS.
bruised fingers
The appearance of unexplained bruises on your fingers may indicate serious underlying health problems, such as blood disorders. Fingers are a rare place in humans where bruises occur without visible injury or trauma.
Leukemia UK Research Director Simon Ridley told the Express: “One of the common warning signs and symptoms of leukemia is bruising.”
“These bruises are different from the types we all encounter from time to time because they can appear in unusual or unexpected places, such as on the hands of adults.”
Approximately 5,000 British people die from Leukemia every year. Despite significant advances in survival rates, the disease still has a 40 percent mortality rate.
Recognizing early symptoms and reporting them to your doctor is critical to increasing your chances of survival.
If your fingers have changed color without bruising, this may also be a sign of Raynaud’s phenomenon, in which blood stops flowing properly to the fingers and toes, causing discoloration.
This usually starts with stress but is often harmless. If it becomes painful or is associated with other conditions, it may be an indicator of lupus or Crohn’s disease.
Other symptoms of lung cancer
Finger clubbing is one of the less common symptoms of lung cancer or mesothelioma; More common symptoms include:
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Persistent cough that lasts three weeks or longer
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Shortness of breath
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Grunt
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frequent chest infections
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A cough that changes or gets worse
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Chest and/or shoulder pain
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Coughing up blood or blood in your sputum
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Unexplained fatigue or lack of energy
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hoarseness
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Swelling in the face or neck.
Although these symptoms do not always mean you have lung cancer, you should talk to your doctor if you are concerned. According to the NHS, anyone diagnosed with early stage lung cancer has a 20 times higher chance of surviving for another five years.
Other symptoms of heart disease
The most obvious symptom of coronary heart disease is a heart attack or angina, but there are a variety of symptoms that, if experienced consistently or along with other symptoms, may be a sign that there is a problem with your heart. These symptoms include:
If you have any concerns about your health, you should always talk to your doctor about your symptoms as your first port of call.