swollen hand and blyches

[nameguy]

Hi, about a week ago my right hand became swollen on the fingers and spawned red blotches of varying sizes on the fingers between the knuckles of the phalanges. The blotches are itchy and provide some resistance to clenching a fist though not preventing it. There is some mild itching on the meta-carpel knuckles. It seems odd that it is only on 1 hand. At first I thought I had been bitten by something as the first blotch to develop was on the little finger but over the following days other blotches appeared on the rest. Have you any clue as to what this condition could be please ? Thank you and best regards.

[nameguy]

Helllo again.

the problem I had with hand has cleared up as mysteriously as it appeared. I did not go to my doctor but I am grateful for your advice on the matter and will bear it in mind should it re-appear.

thanks again

[nameguy]

Thank you for your response.
I have decided to take this to the Doctor over the next couple of days or so after reading what you had to say on the matter. I don't have an affect elsewhere on my body but The finger muscles are inflamed. I think my creatine levels must be low due to an erratic diet lately, which is likely to be a contributor. I appreciate the difficulty of diagnosis over the web on this and I will certainly report back. As for a biopsy, well that is not my cup of tea so I am likely to live with it if it requires anything invasive, I guess it must be a male thing.

Thanks again.

[Bhupinder Kaur, MD]

Hello,
From the symptoms one of the possibilities that is coming to my mind is of dermatomyositis. It is a muscle disease characterized by inflammation and a skin rash. It presents with typical rash on the knuckles and other body parts like neck, shoulders, upper chest, and back. Investigations like Bloods test to check levels of creatine phosphokinase and aldolase, electromyography and muscle biopsy may be needed to confirm the diagnosis. I would suggest a dermatologist’s evaluation.

It is very difficult to precisely confirm a diagnosis without examination and investigations and the answer is based on the medical information provided. For exact diagnosis, you are requested to consult your dermatologist. I sincerely hope that helps. Take care and please do keep me posted on how you are doing.