Finger clubbing, also called "drumstick fingers" or Hippocratic fingers, is a common clinical sign mainly seen 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 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 gastrointestinal diseases including 1,2:
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pulmonary disease
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cardiac disease
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gastrointestinal disease
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others
thyrotoxicosis (i.e. thyroid acropachy)
familial - generally prepubescent
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