VIKING DISEASE
FIVE YEARS AGO, SCIENTISTS FROM EDINBURGH UNIVERSITY SAID THAT ONE IN EVERY 170 WOMEN IN THE ORKNEY ISLANDS SUFFERED FROM MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS – BLAMED, AS IT APPEARED ON THEIR NORSE ANCESTRY. NOW, A NEW WEBSITE HAS BEEN LAUNCHED TO RAISE AWARENESS OF VIKING DISEASE…
A TRULY NORDIC
he recent International Viking Day saw healthcare company Sobi launch an innovative website -
www.thisisdupuytrens.com - to raise awareness of Viking disease, also known as Dupuytren’s disease. This is a little-known but surprisingly common hand condition thought to have been brought to the UK by our Viking ancestors. To research awareness of this condition, Sobi commissioned a survey amongst the public, revealing that 34 per cent of people incorrectly believe that the Vikings wore horns on their helmets, but only four per cent know that the Vikings have a disease named after them.
26 - SCOTTISH PHARMACIST
NUISANCE T
Dupuytren’s disease, or the ‘Viking disease’, is a condition that affects the connective tissue in the palm of the hand and the inside surface of the fi ngers. It occurs when a collagen nodule forms in the palm of the hand resulting in a small lump. Eventually this can develop into a long ‘cord’ in the palm which then contracts resulting in the fi nger being drawn in towards the palm of the hand. This is known as Dupuytren’s contracture which makes everyday tasks such as driving a car and opening a jar diffi cult. The name ‘Viking disease’ originates from the belief that the disease fi rst appeared among the Vikings. Dupuytren’s disease affects
between three and six per cent of the Caucasian population, mostly in men over the age of 50. Although the underlying cause of the disease is not known, the most common cause is hereditary, with 70 per cent of those affected having the disease in their family. Dupuytren’s cannot be cured, but can be treated by both surgery and non-invasive methods.
Viking disease makes the fi ngers bend inwards towards the palm so that they cannot be straightened, making everyday tasks challenging. This can be both practically and emotionally diffi cult, with 80 per cent of people surveyed stating that they would fi nd life much harder without the full use of a dominant hand.
Viking disease patients themselves have reported that unscrewing containers, driving a car or even shaking hands are the hardest things to do as a result of their condition.
The name Viking disease originates from the belief that the disease fi rst appeared among the Vikings. (Nowadays it is called Dupuytren’s disease after the French surgeon who fi rst operated on the condition.) The Vikings spread Dupuytren’s disease throughout Northern Europe and possibly to other parts of the world.
In fact, a recent small survey of 111 members of the British Dupuytren’s Society who have Dupuytren’s disease confi rms previous larger studies
suggesting a North-South geographic variation in prevalence of the condition, especially in Scotland and Northern England where it is known Vikings settled in the British Isles.
Although 80 per cent of members of the public surveyed had never heard of Viking disease, it affects over a million people in the UK alone. Photographs of Margaret Thatcher and Ronald Reagan show that they had Viking disease, and the actor Bill Nighy and BBC cricketing commentator Jonathan Agnew are both known to suffer with the condition.
‘The British Dupuytren’s Society are delighted to see a new source of good quality Dupuytren’s disease information,’ says veterinary surgeon Anna Schurer, Chair of the British Dupuytren’s Society. ‘There is a clear need for increased awareness of this condition which affects so many people in the UK, particularly in Scotland and the north of England, as our new Viking disease map shows. We hope that the website will go some way to identify more patients at an earlier stage of the disease so they can fi nd the information they need and seek medical help as appropriate.’
To fi nd out more information about Dupuytren’s disease and its link with
the Vikings, visit the new website
www.thisisdupuytrens.com •
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