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OSTEOARTHROPATHY
A condition which describes the broadening or thickening of the tips of the fingers (and toes) with heighten lengthwise curvature of the nail and a decrease in the angle normally seen between the cuticle and the fingernail. Often thisfinding on physical inspection can be quite subtle and easily overlooked. Clubbing may be seen in a wide variety of conditions---most of which result in a decrease in blood oxygen.
Examples include: tetralogy of Fallot, transposition of the great vessels, atrial myxomas, cystic fibrosis, emphysema, lung cancer, tuberculosis, cystic fibrosis, bronchiectasis, Hodgkin's malady, cirrhosis, chronicactivehepatitis and Crohn's malady. This findingwill usually provoke a more detailed patient evaluation.
Origin: Gr. Pathos = malady