Dupuytren's disease in women: evaluation of long-term results after operation.

A study of the long-term results after operation on 66 women (83 hands) with Dupuytren's disease showed that women are twice as likely as men to have a postoperative flare reaction. Why a flare reaction develops is uncertain. In this study, patients who had a carpal tunnel release at the time of operation for treatment of Dupuytren's disease or those who had an extensive fasciectomy, as opposed to removal of only the contracted tissue, were more apt to have a flare reaction. In addition, after operation, moderate or severe loss of finger flexion occurred in 35% of hands without a flare reaction and in 76% of those who had a flare reaction. This suggests that women having an operation for treatment of Dupuytren's disease are apt to have a worse result than men.