Between 5 and 10% of the French population suffers from Dupuytren’s disease. This benign hereditary pathology can be very disabling in certain forms. “Dupuytren’s disease corresponds to a thickening of the palm of the hand resulting in a progressive and irreducible flexion of one or more fingers”, explain the Hospices Civils de Lyon on their site. In other words: some fingers get stuck in the bent position. This disease – much more common in men than in women – usually begins with a lump in the palm of the hand. A symptom that often goes unnoticed.
Today, the prevalence of this disease is more important in northern Europe. In Sweden, researchers at the Karolinska Institutet used data from more than 7,000 patients to search for genetic risk factors for the disease. According to findings published in the scientific journal Molecular Biology and Evolution, the three most powerful risk factors for the onset of this disease are inherited from Neanderthals.
“Given that Dupuytren’s disease is rarely seen in people of African descent, we wondered if genetic variants of Neanderthals could partly explain why people outside of Africa are affected,” says Hugo Zeberg, Assistant Professor in the Department of Physiology and Pharmacology at Karolinska Institutet. In this study, scientists compared the genomes of 7,871 patients and 645,880 healthy controls. They identified 61 genetic risk factors for Dupuytren’s disease.
A total of three of them were inherited from Neanderthals. For the authors, these conclusions are proof that the mixture between Neanderthals and our ancestors has important consequences on the prevalence of certain diseases.
What treatment? Described in the 1830s, this disease has long been treated only with surgery, sometimes causing certain sequelae. But, another technique was developed in the 1970s. Now, the treatment is based on the technique called “percutaneous needle aponeurotomy”. These needles – with a double-edged bevel – are used as mini-scalpels to avoid hand surgery. Under local anesthesia, it is possible to cut the flanges using the needle. In all cases, the risk of recurrence remains high, close to 50%.