What is the cause of clubbing?

Clubbing is a very common human disease in medicine. Having clubbing will not only easily affect the health of the body, but also easily lead to some physical complications, which is very harmful to the health of the body. There are many reasons for the formation of clubbing. Generally speaking, pulmonary fibrosis can also easily lead to clubbing. It is necessary to observe the condition more and treat it according to the severity of the disease.

What causes finger clubbing?

Finger clubbing occurs in a variety of conditions, including some cardiovascular disorders, many lung diseases, and nutritional disorders. Occasionally it may be congenital and not associated with any disease. Common cardiovascular diseases include cyanotic congenital heart disease, subacute infective endocarditis, etc. Among lung diseases, clubbing is most common in lung tumors and chronic septic diseases (such as bronchiectasis and

Lung abscess) and intrapulmonary shunts (such as arteriovenous fistulas) can also cause clubbing. Tumors associated with clubbing are usually malignant, but clubbing has also been reported with benign fibroids of the lung or pleura. Finger clubbing is uncommon in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease or chronic tuberculosis; if such patients develop finger clubbing, a tumor should be suspected. Nutritional disorders can be seen in cirrhosis.

Finger clubbing may also be caused by syphilis.

Finger clubbing is a classic symptom of tetralogy of Fallot.

Finger clubbing can also be caused by idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis.

Manifestations of finger clubbing

Clubbing refers to the painless proliferation and swelling of the soft tissue on the back of the distal phalanx (toe) under certain pathological conditions, which causes the distal phalanx (toe) to deform and resemble a club, hence the name.

Finger clubbing is also called drumstick finger. It is characterized by hyperplasia, hypertrophy, and club-like enlargement of the tips of fingers or toes. Its characteristics are that the terminal phalanges (toes) are significantly widened and thickened, and the nails (toes) are arched from the root to the tip, so that the base angle formed by the skin on the back of the finger (toe) and the nail is equal to or greater than 180°.

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Normal nails usually form an obtuse angle of 160° when extending from the fingertips, with the thumb being the most obvious. After clubbing occurs, this obtuse angle is no longer seen. Sometimes it appears as the exact opposite angle, and the volume of the distal finger bone may increase.

Hereditary clubbing may occur gradually during adolescence and often affects all the nails and toenails, but rarely occurs in infancy or childhood.

Clinical significance: can serve as an important clue for diagnosis

A large amount of practice has shown that the vast majority of finger clubbing has clinical diagnostic significance, that is, it has auxiliary diagnostic value and can sometimes serve as an important diagnostic clue.

Respiratory diseases account for 75%-80%. It is common in patients with primary bronchogenic carcinoma, especially oat cell carcinoma. It is reported that about 10% of patients with bronchogenic lung cancer have this sign, which manifests as acute clubbing and severe pain. In addition, it can also be seen in various metastatic lung cancers, pulmonary Hodgkin's disease, mediastinal tumors, pleural mesothelioma, bronchiectasis, lung abscess, cystic fibrosis, diffuse pulmonary interstitial fibrosis, pneumoconiosis, pulmonary arteriovenous malformations, and open pulmonary tuberculosis.

Cardiovascular diseases account for 10% to 15%. Congenital cyanotic heart disease, subacute bacterial endocarditis, aortic arch aneurysm, innominate artery aneurysm, subclavian artery aneurysm, ulnar artery aneurysm, infection after abdominal aortic repair, or patent ductus arteriosus with blood reflux.

Digestive system diseases account for 5% to 10%. It is seen in primary biliary and portal cirrhosis, ulcerative colitis, esophageal cancer, and colon cancer.

Others include chronic mountain sickness, hyperthyroidism after symptoms are controlled, and certain hereditary clubbing.