As I`m a newbie and still researching dups, please forgive me if I rehash info that has been discussed before.

I have epilepsy, and take phenobarbital and phenytoin.
I`ve had dups in RH since Oct 11, and in LH since June 12. Just nodules and cords, no contracture.
I`ve also had breast cancer.

When googling "Dupuytrens and lymphedema" I came across an article suggesting that "in a liver that is chronically inflamed, the stellate cells become activated and they multiply and produce excessive collagen". See link below.

http://www.liverdoctor.com/liver-problems/cirrhosis

This interested me greatly because I know that I have a problem with raised alkaline phosphatase (ALP) in my liver, brought to light in a routine blood test last year.

All the risk factors for Dups - alcoholism, smoking, diabetes, anti-convulsants - affect the liver.

http://www.ehow.com/how-does_4565046_smo...fect-liver.html

As far as familial links go, I have no-one in the family with Dups, BUT my mother had cancer of the bile duct.

Perhaps the familial link in general is a weak liver? Most people don`t have liver panel blood tests done because they have no reason to do so, but the results might be interesting.

What does anyone else think?

I am going to concentrate on making my liver as healthy as possible to see if it has any effect on my rapidly advancing nodules and cords

Redhed, I am really happy that you raise this because it has been on my mind since I found out a few months ago, about the disease that affected my hands. The disease seems to exacerbate in certain periods: when I drink alcohol or eat sugar, I feel itching in my hands almost 2 hours later. quantity does not even seem to matter. The metabolization by the liver should be pursued...
If the disease was mortal, the cause and cure would have been found long time ago. It could be a good idea to have some kind of bursary for research in this disease. I now regret that I chose math and physics, over biology and chemistry when I was a student.

I tried a detoxifying liver diet... I am sure it helped my body... but no effect on nodules or cords....

Edited 08/13/12 03:09

Hi Vikingorigins, I totally believe there is a scientific reason for everything.

I`ve a 30 year old son with a very rare chromosome deletion syndrome. We didn`t have a diagnosis for him until he was 7, then.....Voila! and everything slotted into place just like a vast jigsaw.

Its all out there somewhere......

Hi Larry, my point was that it seems to be the liver which is the common denominator, not individual illnesses.

I`d no idea that my liver had been damaged until a routine blood test showed it last year. I have no other symptoms. There must be many other people in the same situation.

I did check all the lit before I posted. In my experience with my son, medics are not readily inclined to accept ideas that they haven`t thought of themselves.

However if it was something so simple as a damaged liver, I`m sure that someone would have thought of it before now

I tried this link about the fungus and hit a dead end. Can you please provide link again. Thanks.

http://www.desertallergy.net/newsletters...er-may-2008.asp