Syndrome Involving Club Feet & Hands
"Clubbing" and "clubfoot" are two unrelated conditions involving deformities of the hands, feet, fingers and toes. The two have different features and causes, according to the Merck Manual.
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Clubbing
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Clubbing refers to an enlargement of the tips of the fingers or toes and a loss of the angle where the nails emerge.
Clubfoot
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Clubfoot is a congenital deformity in which the foot is twisted out of shape or position. In older children, clubfoot may be caused by injury.
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Statistics
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In adults, 75 percent to 85 percent of clubbing is due to pulmonary disease and the resultant hypoxia, according to the "Encyclopedia and Dictionary of Medicine, Nursing, and Allied Health."
Linked Disorders
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Clubbing is sometimes the result of heart disease or disorders of the liver or gastrointestinal tract. Clubbing may also be an early stage of hypertrophic osteoarthritis.
Considerations
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Clubfoot is sometimes the result of the foot being twisted due to the fetus' position in the uterus; however, this is not true clubfoot, according to the "Merck Manual of Medical Information: Home Edition."
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References
- "Merck Manual of Medical Information: Home Edition;" Robert Berkow, M.D.; 1997
- "Encyclopedia and Dictionary of Medicine, Nursing, and Allied Health;" Benjamin F. Miller, M.D., and Claire Brackman Keane, R.N., B.S., M.Ed.; 1987
