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Risk factors
By Mayo Clinic staffA number of factors are believed to increase your risk of the disease, including:
- Age. Dupuytren's contracture occurs most commonly after the age of 50.
- Your sex. Men are more likely to develop Dupuytren's and to have more severe contractures than are women.
- Ancestry. People of Northern European descent are at higher risk of the disease.
- Family history. Dupuytren's contracture often runs in families.
- Tobacco and alcohol use. Smoking is associated with an increased risk of Dupuytren's contracture, perhaps because of microscopic changes within blood vessels caused by smoking. Alcohol intake also is associated with Dupuytren's.
- Diabetes. People with diabetes are reported to have an increased risk of Dupuytren's contracture.
References
- Canale ST, et al. Campbell's Operative Orthopaedics. 11th ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Mosby Elsevier; 2008. http://www.mdconsult.com/das/book/body/208746819-4/0/1584/0.html. Accessed Aug. 17, 2012.
- Sheon RP, et al. Dupuytren's contracture. http://www.uptodate.com/index. Accessed Aug. 17, 2012.
- Frontera WR, et al. Essentials of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation: Musculoskeletal Disorders, Pain, and Rehabilitation. 2nd ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Saunders Elsevier; 2008. http://www.mdconsult.com/das/book/body/208746819-6/0/1678/0.html. Accessed Aug. 17, 2012.
- Dupuytren's contracture. American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. http://orthoinfo.aaos.org/topic.cfm?topic=a00008. Accessed Aug. 20, 2012.
- Dupuytren's disease. American Society for Surgery of the Hand. http://www.assh.org/Public/HandConditions/Pages/DupuytrensDisease.aspx. Accessed Aug. 20, 2012.
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