So just how healthy are you? It's all written in your hands
Dry skin and chipped fingernails are not the only reason to pay attention to your hands. For new research shows they contain vital details about our health, including clues to hidden diseases such as cancer.
The palm of a woman's hand could be an early warning sign of an ovarian tumour, according to a report in the latest Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine.
A 74-year-old woman who was otherwise healthy sought medical help for hard lumps that developed on her palms. These had gradually spread and joined together, giving the palm a 'wooden' feeling, making movement difficult and painful.
Research suggests your hands contain vital details about your health, including clues to hidden diseases, such as cancer
Doctors couldn't find anything obviously wrong, but she was tested for - and diagnosed with - ovarian cancer after they read medical literature and found that the lumps (called palmar fasciitis)were a rare sign of the disease
Why a tumour has this effect on hands remains a mystery. But one theory is cancer cells pump out chemicals that trigger fibrosis, or scarring of tissue.
GP and author Dr Graham Easton, who has a special interest in hands, says they can provide essential clues on a patient's well-being.
'I always try to shake hands when I meet a patient for the first time,' says Dr Easton, a family doctor in London . 'I'm not being polite - their hands are packed with information about their general health, from whether they might have a thyroid problem to signs of osteoarthritis.
'In fact, doctors can often tell more about someone's health by their hands than their face.'
So, what are the hand signals you should look for to keep a check on your health?
REDDENED PALMS Could mean: Liver cirrhosis
The hands can tell doctors a lot about the state of your liver. One of the classic signs of diseases such cirrhosis is a reddening of the palms.
Cirrhosis means heavy scarring of liver tissue, and although it is associated mostly with heavy drinking, it can also be caused by other 'silent'conditions, such as hepatitis C.
Called palmar erythema, this reddening usually affects the outer edge of the palm, near the little finger. Blood vessels in the skin dilate due to changes in the hormone balance caused by liver disease.
FATTY KNUCKLESCould mean: High cholesterol
Lumps of cholesterol deposits - known as tendon xanthoma - over the knuckles are one of the signs of a potentially fatal condition called familialhypercholesterolaemia.
These are hard, yellowy bumps that protrude when you clench your fist.
'Fatty deposits build up for years in the tendons and eventually become fibrous and hard,' says Ellen Mason, cardiac nurse with the British Heart
Foundation.
People with the condition have extremely high cholesterol levels from birth but no obvious symptoms and, without drug treatment, can die from a heart attack at a young age.
Around one in 500 people in the UK are affected, and it is estimated that there are around 100,000 who have not yet been diagnosed.
SPOON NAILSCould mean: Anaemia
Most of us have nails that are convex, which means they curve like the surface of a ball. But if your nails have a dip in the middle, it could be a sign of iron deficiency.
Doctors call this condition koilonychia, or spoon nails, and it is one of the first things they look for when trying to work out if a tired and listless patient is suffering from anaemia and needs to take iron supplements.
It's thought the lack of iron weakens the nail and makes it thinner until, eventually, it partially collapses.
CLUB FINGERSCould mean: Lung cancer
If the tips of your fingers are dome-shaped or look like small clubs, it could be a warning sign of serious diseases such as lung cancer, TB ormesothelioma - a deadly lung disease linked to asbestos.
Although the characteristic was first identified by Hippocrates more than 2,000 years ago, it was only recently that scientists at the University of Leeds discovered why it happens.
It's due to the build-up of a substance called PGE2 which helps dampen down inflammation in the lungs. It's thought lung tumours send production of PGE2 into overdrive, churning out ten times the amount the body needs. It builds up in the finger tips and causes swelling.
BLUE FINGERNAILSCould mean: Heart failure
One of the easiest ways for doctors to check how much oxygen is circulating in the blood is to check the nails, toes or lips.
Pink means a healthy circulation, but blue suggests the body is low on oxygen because blood is not being pumped round the body properly.
Called cyanosis, this condition can be a warning sign for heart failure.
Oxygen-poor blood is not actually blue. It just appears less bright through the nails than red oxygen-rich blood.
Women about to have surgery are always asked to remove their nail varnish so surgeons can check their oxygen status quickly during the procedure.
BEADED NAILSCould mean: Rheumatoid arthritis
If you have tiny beads on your nails that resemble candle wax dripping downwards, it could be a sign of rheumatoid arthritis, even if your joints have not become swollen or painful.
Doctors called this 'beading' of the nails; the more fingers or toes affected, the more likely it is that arthritis has set in. The cause is thought to be vasculitis, inflammation of the blood vessels under the nail bed, triggered by the arthritis.
BONY LUMPS ON FINGERSCould mean: Osteoarthritis in the hips
Bonypea-sized lumps that are painful to the touch around the joints of the fingers can be a marker for osteoarthritis elsewhere in the body, such as hips or knees.
These lumps are known as Heberden's nodes, first noted by prominent 18th-century English doctor called William Heberden.
Onestudy in the Seventies showed that out of 29 patients with previously un diagnosed arthritis of the hip, 18 had Heberden's nodes on their finger joints.
TWO-TONE NAILSCould mean: Kidney disease
Nails that are a pale white on the bottom half, nearest the skin, but a brownish shade on the top half, could be a sign of kidney failure.
The condition, known as half-and-half nails, can often develop before the patient's organ starts to pack up, giving doctors a vital clue as to what's likely to happen.
It's thought to be due to a build up of urea - a waste product normally processed by the kidneys but which here crystallises under the skin and nails.
SWEATY PALMSCould mean: Overactive thyroid
Hyperthyroidism- or over active thyroid - is a common condition that, for reasons which remain unclear, affects more women than men.
The thyroid is a gland that sits just below the Adam's apple and produces a hormone that controls the body's metabolism - the rate at which it produces energy.
A key sign is hot and sweaty palms, says Dr Susan Clarke, consultant physician at King's College Hospital , London ...
'With an overactive thyroid, the body uses up more calories and generates more heat. Feeling hot and sweaty all the time is a classic symptom.'
OVERSIZED HANDSCould mean: A pituitary tumour
If your hands become swollen and enlarged, you could be developing a condition called acromegaly.
The feet, lips, nose and ears can also be affected as the pituitary gland - which sits in the brain - pumps out too much growth hormone, usually because it has developed a non-cancerous tumour that upsets hormone production. It generally affects middle-aged men and women, and unless it's treated with surgery or drugs to shrink the tumour, it can sometimes be fatal.
