Acropachy is a dermopathy associated with

Graves' disease Graves' disease (german: Morbus Basedow), also known as toxic diffuse goiter, is an autoimmune disease that affects the thyroid. It frequently results in and is the most common cause of hyperthyroidism. It also often results in an enlarged thyr ...

. It is characterized by soft-tissue swelling of the hands and clubbing of the fingers. Radiographic imaging of affected extremities typically demonstrates

periostitis Periostitis, also known as periostalgia, is a medical condition caused by inflammation of the periosteum, a layer of connective tissue that surrounds bone. The condition is generally chronic, and is marked by tenderness and swelling of the bone an ...

, most commonly the

metacarpal bones In human anatomy, the metacarpal bones or metacarpus form the intermediate part of the skeletal hand located between the phalanges of the fingers and the carpal bones of the wrist, which forms the connection to the forearm. The metacarpal bones ...

. The exact cause is unknown, but it is thought to be caused by stimulating auto-antibodies that are implicated in the

pathophysiology Pathophysiology ( physiopathology) – a convergence of pathology with physiology – is the study of the disordered physiological processes that cause, result from, or are otherwise associated with a disease or injury. Pathology is the ...

of Graves'

thyrotoxicosis Hyperthyroidism is the condition that occurs due to excessive production of thyroid hormones by the thyroid gland. Thyrotoxicosis is the condition that occurs due to excessive thyroid hormone of any cause and therefore includes hyperthyroidism. ...

. There is no effective treatment for acropachy. Since it is closely associated with Graves' disease, it is associated with other manifestations of Graves' disease, such as Graves'

ophthalmopathy Graves’ ophthalmopathy, also known as thyroid eye disease (TED), is an autoimmune inflammatory disorder of the orbit and periorbital tissues, characterized by upper eyelid retraction, lid lag, swelling, redness (erythema), conjunctivitis, and b ...

and

thyroid The thyroid, or thyroid gland, is an endocrine gland in vertebrates. In humans it is in the neck and consists of two connected lobes. The lower two thirds of the lobes are connected by a thin band of tissue called the thyroid isthmus. The thy ...

dermopathy. Hereditary acropachy (also known as "isolated congenital nail clubbing") may be associated with

HPGD Hydroxyprostaglandin dehydrogenase 15-(NAD) (the HUGO-approved official symbol = HPGD; HGNC ID, HGNC:5154), also called 15-hydroxyprostaglandin dehydrogenase AD+ is an enzyme that in humans is encoded by the ''HPGD'' gene. In melanocytic cells ...

References

External links

Radiopaedia.org: Thyroid acropachy
Musculoskeletal disorders {{musculoskeletal-disease-stub

See also

References

External links