The story depends on the storyteller. For nearly two centuries, the only narrators of the story of Dupuytren have been doctors and therapists. The public face of Dupuytren was limited either to what was easy to describe (measuring finger angles) or to technical details relevant to surgery. It was a narrow tunnel vision about what […]

Compassion, Generosity, and Enlightened Self-Interest In this season of gratitude and self-reflection, it’s wonderful to have a simple way to help oneself and at the same time help others in the same situation. I have Dupuytren disease in my hand. I’ve learned that Dupuytren-related diseases run in my family, here and there: Dupuytren, Ledderhose, Peyronie, […]

I was recently asked if medical marijuana might be helpful for Dupuytren disease. The short answer is “No one knows.”. The longer answer is much more interesting. The late effect of Dupuytren disease is Dupuytren contracture. The medical term for the findings in Dupuytren contracture is fibrosis. Sclerosis also means the same thing. If either of […]

Improving the Future of Dupuytren Care Right now, many people with mild Dupuytren biology do well after surgery or after Xiaflex – because most people have mild to moderate Dupuytren biology. The issue isn’t the patient with mild disease biology who will do well for a long time after any treatment. The issue is those […]

Turkey Day Update! Much has happened since the last Dupuytren Foundation report in July. The International Dupuytren Data Bank (IDDB) averages 100 new enrollees each month. We’re continuing to work out the complicated details of blood testing. If you haven’t enrolled yet, now is the time: http://DupStudy.com. Our international research committee continues to grow. So does […]

Dupuytren disease research questions and answers. Dupuytren advocacy is challenging. One challenge is that many people have never heard the words Dupuytren, or Ledderhose, or Peyronie, including many who have these problems. A larger challenge is that no one knows the root biology of Dupuytren/Ledderhose/Peyronie disease – how it starts, or how to make it […]

Dupuytren Foundation 2016 Mid-Year Report 2016 has already exceeded expectations for the Dupuytren Foundation. Here are some of the highlights. Progress on International Dupuytren Data Bank Research The International Dupuytren Data Bank (IDDB) launched in November 2015. The goal of the IDDB is a cure for Dupuytren disease. This research has been made possible through your support. Project […]

A recent study reported possible beneficial effects of caffeine on Dupuytren biology . There was 2011 study which reported similar results with forskolin, which affects the same cell chemistry as caffeine . Based on this, the possible use of caffeine was discussed in the Dupuytren Foundation blog in 2011 . Let’s look at two points in […]

Dupuytren disease advocacy faces many small challenges which collectively add up to a big challenge. Even the French word Dupuytren (“Doop-a-tren”) isn’t familiar to English speakers either in sound or spelling. It doesn’t even rhyme with any English word. The result is that the word Dupuytren is hard to remember, and often doesn’t register when people see […]