I deleted by mistake below comment from Randy_H. Here it is:

Interesting article for the Dups beginner. Good point:

"Many cells – including those involved in this disease – do have sensors that respond to mechanical stress, and their signals may indeed tell the cell to produce more, or altered, support molecules."

In other words, hand injury can trigger initial Dups and once you have it can trigger more. I've finally purchased a djembe hand drum which I've fearfully avoided for years. It looks like wearing my weightlifting gloves still allows for a good sound while my hands feel almost no strain. Will proceed with caution.

Good question but I guess nobody really knows the answer. Of course, many patients with DD have no family history but that doesn't say that they don't have the genes. We don't even know for sure what genes are responsible for Dupuytren's (though recently there some progress was made http://www.umcg.nl/SiteCollectionDocumen...mans%20NEJM.pdf). We still need much more research to understand this disease.

Wolfgang

moondanc:

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Here is what I don't understand. If you don't have the gene or tendency for DD, can a hand injury cause DD or does that injury just trigger it and cause it to appear at an earlier age? In other words, were you always going to get Dupuytrens and a hand injury just speeds up the process?
Nonnie

RT is not preventive. It doesn't make sense to irradiate a healthy hand and hope that it would prevent future Dupuytren's. Understandably RT cannot treat nodules that do not exist yet. But it might affect very small DD sites that haven't yet developed into sizable/palpable nodules.

Wolfgang

moondanc:

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Okay, here's another question I need an answer to. Does RT only work on existing nodules/fibroblasts? In other words if I had my whole hand treated by RT and if it were going to be successful, would it only work on the existing fibroblasts or would it prevent further nodules from forming?
Diane