Clubbing of the fingers or toes refers to certain physical changes to your fingernails or toenails that result from an underlying medical condition. These changes can include:. These changes can develop in a matter of weeks or years, depending on the cause. They can be the result a variety of underlying medical conditions, many of which are serious. If you develop clubbing of your fingers or toes, make an appointment with your doctor. This activation plays a role in changing the nail bed. Nail widening that characterizes clubbing happens when the tissue under your nail plate becomes thicker.
This can be triggered by a number of conditions throughout the body. For example, clubbing often results from lung issues, such as:.
To treat clubbing, your doctor will need to address the underlying cause of your symptoms. Your recommended treatment plan will depend on your diagnosis. For example, your doctor may prescribe:. Platelet derived growth factor PDGF may have a role. Platelets release PDGF in the vasculature of the fingertips. PDGF stimulates growth, vascular permeability, and monocyte and neutrophil chemotaxis, and leads to proliferation of vascular smooth muscle cells and fibroblasts, as is seen in clubbing.
Conditions that have chronic platelet excess e. Use of this content is subject to our disclaimer. For any urgent enquiries please contact our customer services team who are ready to help with any problems. Evaluation of clubbing View PDF external link opens in a new window.
Last reviewed: 14 Oct Last updated: 30 Jun Definition Clubbing is a bulbous uniform swelling of the soft tissue of the terminal phalanx of a digit with subsequent loss of the normal angle between the nail and nail bed. Differentials Common Lung cancer Bronchiectasis Lung abscess Empyema Congenital heart disease Infective endocarditis Hypersensitivity pneumonitis extrinsic allergic alveolitis Full details.
Clubbing often occurs in heart and lung diseases that reduce the amount of oxygen in the blood. These may include:. A person with clubbing often has symptoms of another condition.
Diagnosing that condition is based on:. General patient examination and differential diagnosis. Hutchison's Clinical Methods.
Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; chap 2. Fajardo E, Davis JL. History and physical examination. Murray and Nadel's Textbook of Respiratory Medicine. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; chap Products and services. Slide show: 7 fingernail problems not to ignore. Previous Next 2 of 7 Nail clubbing Nail clubbing occurs when the tips of the fingers enlarge and the nails curve around the fingertips, usually over the course of years.
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