Study Focuses on Reagan’s Hand Disease

University of Manchester researchers want to determine the cause of Dupuytren’s disease — a crippling condition usually affecting one’s hands.

Sufferers have included former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and the late U.S. President Ronald Reagan.

The disease can result in the loss of fingers and occurs gradually, with tough bands of tissue forcing the fingers, most commonly the small and ring fingers, to curl towards the palm.

The only treatment currently available involves removal of the excess tissue growth, which provides limited respite.

Some of the characteristics of the condition are very peculiar, said Dr Ardeshir Bayat of the university’s Center for Integrated Genomic Medical Research, who is leading the study. “It mainly affects people of north European or Scandinavian descent and runs in families, so we know there is a genetic link involved.

Named after Baron Dupuytren, the 19th Century French surgeon who first described it, the disease can affect both sexes, but is most prevalent among men over the age of 40.

In Britain and the United States, Dupuytren’s disease can affect between 5 percent and 15 percent of men over the age of 50.