Finger clubbing, also called "drumstick fingers", is a common clinical sign in patients with heart or lung disease. The term is used to describe an enlargement of the distal phalanges of the fingers, giving them a drumstick or club-like appearance.
Clinical Presentation
Finger clubbing presents in a number of typical stages:
- increased fluctuation of the nail bed
- loss of the normal Lovibond angle at the base of the nail (Schamroth's window is lost)
- increased convexity of the nail
- widening or 'drumsticking' of the fingertip
Pathology
The underlying pathogenesis of finger clubbing is unknown.
Associations
Finger clubbing is associated with a long list of chronic cardiopulmonary and GI diseases including 1:
- pulmonary disease
- cardiac disease
- GI disease
- others
- thyrotoxicosis (i.e. thyroid acropachy)
- familial - generally prepubescent