Abstract
Our aim is to characterise changes of Dupuytren's contracture in Czech population during the 20th century. Using Karfik's group (N=123) from 1949 as a reference group, we made comparisons with patients who underwent surgery between 1989 & 1999 (N=75).
Dupuytren's contracture is a disease of the fibrous tissue of the hand. Karfik's simple clinical classification allowed us to divide patients at our practice with Dupuytren's contracture into 3 types.
Fifty years later, a 4-fold increase in incidence of Dupuytren's contracture was observed in women. The ulnar type of Dupuytren's contracture is dominant in the patient group from the latter half of the 20th century.
The incidence of the radial type of Dupuytren's contracture remains unchanged - it is found only in 3% of the Czech population. Following this, it is important to emphasise that Dupuytren's contracture is not just a static process, but dynamic, with its own evolution, which must be detected to find an adequate target for therapy.