Knuckle pads are keratotic nodulations within precise limits and approximately one centimeter in diameter, usually on the interphalangeal joints of the hands. Pachydermodactyly is a uniform swelling of the skin occurring in the proximal phalanges of the hands. A case involving a young man suffering from several knuckle pad lesions concomitant with pachydermodactyly was studied. This association has not been previously described in the literature. Although it has been reported that both conditions are different manifestations of the same disease, they are believed to be distinct disorders. The compulsive act of rubbing the skin seems to be a common denominator mostly accepted as the cause of both diseases. The authors affirm that knuckle pads may be acquired as an epidermal response, while pachydermodactyly, is a dermal response to the same traumatic factor to the skin. The patient was treated with intralesional infiltration of triamcinolone resulting in a remarkable clinical improvement in both manifestations.
fingers; fibrosis
