Three cancer and heart disease symptoms and signs that can be spotted early in your hands

Your hands can reveal a lot about you, from the hardness and callouses formed by years of physical work to the softness indicative of a more leisurely lifestyle. However, they can also signal the onset of severe health issues, including heart disease and lung cancer.

Heart disease is the second leading cause of death in the UK after dementia, claiming over 60,000 lives each year due to related conditions. While genetic factors can influence the likelihood of developing heart disease, early detection can lead to preventative measures such as dietary changes or medication.

Lung cancer, the fifth leading cause of death in the UK, claims the lives of 95 individuals prematurely each day. Besides adopting healthier habits like quitting smoking to reduce your risk of developing lung cancer or mesothelioma, spotting symptoms early and seeking medical attention can increase survival rates by up to 20 times.

Although your hands are physically distant from where these health issues originate, they can exhibit various symptoms indicating something is seriously wrong within your body. While most of these signs can be harmless, some should always prompt a visit to a healthcare professional.

Alterations in the shape or colour of your fingers can signify a range of conditions. Many of these are benign, but some can be life-threatening. If your fingers or tendons begin to swell, it might be time to consult your doctor.

Finger clubbing

When your fingers or toes begin to swell at the tips, with the surrounding nail skin turning shiny, this is referred to as finger clubbing, digital clubbing, or sometimes Hippocratic fingers. This condition often leads to a change in the shape and angle of the toenail as the tip of the digit swells, usually becoming red and warm.

Clubbing typically develops gradually over years but can occur suddenly if prompted by a lung abscess. Mount Sinai Hospital cites lung cancer as the most frequent cause of finger clubbing, although it can signal other health issues, and not all individuals with the disease will experience clubbed fingers.

The process generally starts at the nail base and progresses, making the nails curve more than usual. To determine if your finger curvature is due to clubbing, there’s an easy test: press your fingernails together and look for a tiny, diamond-shaped gapif you see one, your fingers are probably normal.

While finger and toe clubbing may also be a sign of other heart or thyroid conditions, as well as lung cancer and mesothelioma, Cancer Research UK describes it as an “unusual” symptom. They advise: “If you think you might have it and are worried, do speak to your doctor.”

loucestershire Live reports your doctor can conduct an examination and inquire about any additional symptoms you may have. If needed, they can arrange for tests such as a chest x-ray to inspect your lungs.

Once the root cause of the clubbing is addressed, the swelling should diminish.

Swollen knuckles

Usually, high cholesterol levels in your body can only be identified through a blood test carried out by your GP. However, for those with an inherited condition known as familial hypercholesterolaemia, indulging in too many fast foods and neglecting self-care can result in swollen knuckles.

This is referred to as tendon xanthomata, a condition triggered by the accumulation of cholesterol around your tendons, which can impact the knuckles on your hand, your knees, and your Achilles tendon. While high cholesterol levels and the resultant heart disease are typically linked with older adults, if you’re one of the 220,000 individuals in the UK with this genetic condition, the swelling can commence in early adulthood.

Research indicates that people with this condition often experience a thickening in the arteries due to high cholesterol levels from the age of 11, as per an NHS study. This makes it crucial to identify these symptoms and implement the necessary lifestyle changes to combat them.

Only eight per cent of those with this familial condition have been recognised by the health service, so if you observe your knuckles swelling and have other yellowish bumps on your hand, or around your eyes, it might be worth getting examined. However, for most Brits, the only method of determining your cholesterol level is by undergoing a blood test conducted by a healthcare professional.

Swelling in the legs and feet could be a sign of heart disease, according to the American Academy of Dermatology. They have highlighted that: “Many diseases of the heart cause fluid to build up in your feet and lower legs. As the fluid builds up, you may see swelling, which can extend as far as the upper legs and groin.”

The NHS has noted that this swelling tends to improve in the morning and worsen as the day progresses.

Bruised fingers

Another potential warning sign is the sudden appearance of bruises on your fingers. This is quite unusual and could indicate a blood-related issue.

Unless you’ve had a significant knock or injury, it’s uncommon to develop a bruise on your fingers without noticing. This is often a signal for doctors to test for forms of cancer.

Leukaemia UK’s Research Director Simon Ridley told Express: “One of the common warning signs and symptoms of leukaemia is bruising.”

“These bruises are different to the types which we all get from time to time as they can appear in unusual or unexpected locations, such as on the hands for adults.”

Leukaemia claims nearly 5000 British lives annually. Despite significant advancements in treatment, it still carries a 40 per cent fatality rate. Spotting early signs and reporting them to your GP is the best way to increase your chances of survival.

If your fingers have changed colour, without bruising, this could also be a sign of Raynaud’s phenomenon, where blood stops flowing properly to the fingers and toes, causing discolouration.

This is often onset by stress but is frequently harmless. If it becomes painful or associated with other conditions, it can be an indicator of lupus, or Crohn’s disease.

Other symptoms of lung cancer

Finger clubbing is one of the less common symptoms of lung cancer or mesothelioma, the more common symptoms are:

• A persistent cough that lasts three weeks or more
• Breathlessness
• Wheezing
• Frequent chest infections
• A cough that changes or gets worse
• Chest and/or shoulder pain
• Coughing up blood or blood in your phlegm
• Unexplained fatigue or lack of energy
• Hoarseness
• Swelling in the face or neck.

While these symptoms don’t always mean you have lung cancer, you should speak to your GP if you have any concerns. According to the NHS, anyone diagnosed with lung cancer in its first stage have a 20 times higher chance of surviving for five years of more.

Other symptoms of heart disease

The most obvious sign of coronary heart disease is a heart attack, or angina, but there are a variety of symptoms that, if experienced continuously or together with other symptoms, could be a sign that there is something wrong with your heart. Those symptoms include:

• Chest pain
• Shortness of Breath
• Coughing or Wheezing
• Swelling in the legs, ankles, or feet
• Poor circulation
• Fatigue
• Palpitations

If you have any concerns about your health, you should always speak to your doctor about your symptoms as your first port of call.