Peeling, flaky skin can signal that we are vitamin B deficient; and dry, itchy, or rash-prone skin can be a sign of eczema, psoriasis, or food allergies.
And while each of these is a serious condition that should be addressed, other signals that our hands give us may be clues to far more serious conditions that should warn us to get medical attention, or at least to speak with our doctors about our risk factors for various diseases.
Among them:
Blotchy, Red Palms
The palms of our hands can turn red for a number of reasons. You may have squeezed that stubborn jar lid too tightly while struggling to open it or dried out your skin washing a sink full of dishes in hot water. Or it can be a common symptom experienced by pregnant women. If you develop chronically red, blotchy palms, it could be a condition called palmar erythema, which is a signal that you have liver disease – either cirrhosis or nonalcoholic fatty liver disease.
When our liver becomes damaged or diseased, it can no longer effectively flush out the waste products that build up in the body, resulting in excess levels of hormones that dilate the blood vessels, making them visible through the skin on the palms of our hands and feet.
How Can I Confirm My Suspicions?
If you have a family history or risk factors for nonalcoholic fatty liver disease – including obesity, thyroid dysfunction, high cholesterol, and others – or if you are a regular drinker, you should evaluate yourself for other telling signs of liver disease, which can include:
- swollen abdomen (beer belly)
- prominent, visible veins on the torso or abdomen
- chronic fatigue
- pain in the upper right abdomen
- bruising easily
- loss of appetite/weight loss
- swelling in the legs (edema)
If you have any combination of these symptoms, make an appointment with your doctor to discuss the symptoms and possible causes. You can request liver function tests, which may check your billirubin and liver enzyme levels.
If you don’t have these additional symptoms, and especially if your hands become painful, your red palms may be a sign of rheumatoid arthritis. Speak with your doctor to rule out or confirm a diagnosis.
Swollen Fingers
Swollen fingers can be completely benign results of a number of factors – having spent time outside on a hot day, being premenstrual, or having eaten a salty meal. Swollen fingers are also another common, albeit unpleasant, symptom in pregnant women (which, if severe, may indicate preeclampsia). However, chronically swollen fingers that are hard to bend at the joint or feel hard or stiff may be an indication of hypothyroidism.
The thyroid is a butterfly-shaped gland that sits at the base of the neck, surrounding the windpipe, and is one of the most important endocrine glands. This gland converts iodine into thyroid hormone, which, when released into the blood stream, controls the body’s metabolism, regulates the heart rate, controls the speed of digestion and how quickly sugar is used by the body. When your thyroid is underactive, these hormones aren’t produced in great enough quantities to regulate our body functions properly, which can result in a number of symptoms, which typically include weight gain and water retention, or edema.
When this happens, one of the first places where this edema is obvious is in the hands, which become stiff and uncomfortable because of the swelling.
How Can I Confirm My Suspicions?
If your swollen fingers are accompanied by edema elsewhere in the body – including the face and limbs, or by abdominal weight gain, coldness in the extremities, or if it comes with a cold or respiratory infection that has seemed to linger for an extended period of time, it may be an indication of hypothyroidism. If you are pregnant and you experience edema in the extremities and face, it may be a sign of preeclampsia, and is something that you should report to your OB/Gyn as soon as possible. You may also experience symptoms such as brittle nails, hair loss, and achy joints.
If your fingers have been swollen for an extended period of time, and reducing salt intake doesn't relieve the swelling, schedule an appointment with your doctor to get your thyroid levels checked. This can be done with a simple blood test.
Thick, Rounded Fingertips
Thickened, angled fingertips, known as “clubbed” fingers, which typically include an enlargement of the fingertip beyond the last joint and a rounding of the fingernail can be an indication that you have heart or lung disease. This change in the fingers can happen quickly – sometimes within a period of weeks, because when the heart or lung function is impaired, it causes a person’s blood oxygen level to drop. This causes the tissues on the finger pads to grow, making fingertips and the tips of toes bulge outward. There are a number of heart and lung conditions that can cause finger clubbing, the most common of which is lung cancer, which is often otherwise asymptomatic in its early stages. Other causes of clubbing include:
- congenital heart defects
- chronic lung infections, including cystic fibrosis
- an infection of the lining of the heart chambers and valves
- deep lung disuse disorders (interstitial lung disease)
- celiac disease
- cirrhosis of the liver or fatty liver disease
- Graves disease
- Overactive thyroid
If you have clubbed fingers, you may notice that your nail beds have softened, making the nails feel less securely attached to the finger. As the fingertips begin to swell, they may also feel warm and become red.
How Can I Confirm My Suspicions?
By the time that you notice that your fingers have become clubbed, you have most likely developed other symptoms that indicate a problem, including:
- difficulty breathing/shortness of breath
- chronic cough
- fatigue
This condition may also indicate that you have aortic valve disease, which will also typically be accompanied by chest pain.
If you notice that your fingers have become clubbed, make an appointment with your doctor as soon as possible for a heart and lung check-up. Tests may include chest x-rays and a physical exam, as well as a range of tests to rule out other conditions. You may also be asked to wear a pulse oximeter, which tracks your blood oxygen levels.
So if you think that something is amiss with your health, and an underlying condition could have a "hand" in your worries, consult your physician.