How common is Dupuytren's disease?

Dupuytren's disease most commonly affects people of northern European heritage. It is rare in people of African or Asian descent. Heredity is thought to be a factor because Dupuytren's disease tends to occur most often among close family members.

The risk of Dupuytren's disease increases with age. It occurs most often in people age 50 and older.¹ Men are 7 to 15 times more likely than women to have severe Dupuytren's disease that requires surgical treatment. Older women often develop a milder form of the disease.² Dupuytren's disease is very rare in children.

Up to 30% of men older than 65 with a Northern European genetic background will have Dupuytren's disease.³ Many of these will not need treatment.

Citations

1. American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons and American Academy of Pediatrics (2005). Dupuytren disease. In LY Griffin, ed., Essentials of Musculoskeletal Care, 3rd ed., pp. 331-332. Rosemont, IL: American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons.

2. Saar JD, Grothaus PC (2000). Dupuytren's disease: An overview. Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, 106(1): 125-134.

3. Brown AN, Gilkeson GS (2005). Fibrosing diseases: Diabetic stiff hand syndrome, Dupuytren's contracture, palmar and plantar fasciitis, retroperitoneal fibrosis, and Peyronie's disease. In WJ Koopman, LW Moreland, eds., Arthritis and Allied Conditions: A Textbook of Rheumatology, 15th ed., vol. 2, pp. 2093-2108. Philadelphia: Lippincott Williams and Wilkins.