Significant Risk Factors Of Dupuytren's Contracture

Alcohol And Tobacco Consumption

Alcohol and tobacco consumption appears to increase an individual's chances of developing Dupuytren's contracture. There is a great deal of documentation regarding the ways smoking increases this risk. One theory behind this is that smoking leads to microscopic changes in the shape or walls of blood vessels. Studies have also been done regarding how alcohol consumption can increase an individual's risk of developing Dupuytren's contracture. The goal was to determine whether alcohol consumption itself leads to an increased risk, or if liver disease must play a part. There was a study done of five groups of patients in a hospital. Of the patients with alcohol-induced cirrhosis, or scarring of the liver, 32.5 percent had Dupuytren's contracture. In patients with chronic liver disease other than cirrhosis caused by alcohol, the prevalence was twenty-two percent. The portion was twenty-eight percent in those who had chronic alcoholism without liver disease, and the control group only had twelve percent. This indicates the consumption of alcohol increases an individual's risk of Dupuytren's contracture regardless of whether they have liver disease or not.