Hi All, I recently went to visit a hand specialist due to swellings on two of my finger joints on my right hand (ring finger and middle finger). I had the first swelling appear about two or three years ago, with the second one appearing more recently. I was expecting to be told they were cysts of some sort, so it was a complete shock to be told that they were Garrod's Pads and that I would be developing Dupuytren's Contracture at some point in my life. I'm 34 (and male) and the doctor mentioned that this means I'm more likely to have an aggressive presentation of the condition. Note: I have no other symptoms, no nodes on the palms of my hands etc currently.

I suppose my first question is, due to the fact that I only have the Garrod's pads at the moment, what does that mean?

Is there any chance this is a misdiagnosis as I have no other symptoms? Should I seek a second opinion?

Have others had Garrod's pads as their first symptom, how quickly did things tend to develop for them?

Am I likely to see the nodes on my palms soon? Are there any expected timelines?

I am worried about the impact the condition will have on my life, I type a lot as part of my work, I play golf and tennis several times a week. Will I be have to curtail these activities in the coming years. How much is my life going to be impacted by this?

Sorry, I know that the questions I'm asking are very subjective, timelines etc affect everyone differently. But I guess I'm just trying to get my head around this and other people's experiences with this may help.

Hi Leonidas,

first of all, welcome to our forum! You will find patients here willing to share their experience and helping each other.

From what you are describing you are concerned about long term effects of Dupuytren's but you don't have actual problems. The bad news is that Dupuytren's is genetic and can't be healed. The good news is that most people with signs of Dupuytren's never need any treatment in their life. Even if you doctor tells you that you have an aggressive form of Dupuytren's because you have knuckle pads, it can't be that aggressive because your fingers are still fine. Being 36 when you get the first signs of Dupuytren's is not terribly young either, I was at the same age when it started for me. Today I am nearly 70 and still doing fine (though I had some treatments in between).

The best advice for you is probably to not worry but keep enjoying life. If you are smoking, you might consider stopping this (also for other reasons) and if you are drinking a lot you might consider reducing this but otherwise keep going and don't worry. To be further on the safe side you might familiarize yourself with early symptoms and available treatments, just in case something should develop in your palm some day. This website is a great place to learn about this disease. Just use the menu and read about the disease, its symptoms, and about possible treatments. And then go out and continue living happily!

Wolfgang