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Lung diseases associated with digital clubbing
1Dunn Laboratory, Department of Medicine, St. Bartholomew's Hospital, West Smithfield, London, U.K.
Clinical and Experimental Rheumatology
|May 1, 1992
Summary
Clubbing, a physical sign, is categorized by its occurrence in various conditions. Platelet clumps in digits may cause clubbing by releasing platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF).
Area of Science:
- Medical Science
- Pathophysiology
- Dermatology
Background:
- Clubbing is a clinical sign with varied associations.
- Hypertrophic osteoarthropathy is considered a related but distinct condition.
- The precise mechanisms underlying clubbing remain incompletely understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To classify conditions associated with clubbing.
- To explore the relationship between clubbing and hypertrophic osteoarthropathy.
- To propose a potential mechanism for clubbing development.
Main Methods:
- Literature review and classification of clubbing.
- Comparative analysis of clubbing and hypertrophic osteoarthropathy.
- Hypothetical mechanism involving megakaryocytes and PDGF.
Main Results:
- Clubbing is categorized based on the frequency of its observation in different diseases.
- Hypertrophic osteoarthropathy may represent an extreme or related phenomenon to clubbing.
- Megakaryocyte or platelet clumps in digital tissues are proposed as a cause of clubbing.
Conclusions:
- Clubbing can be systematically classified.
- Platelet aggregation in digital vasculature, leading to PDGF release, is a plausible etiology for clubbing.