red hands

Do the red hands eventually fade away?  I swear if there was a traffic light out in the city somewhere I could stand in the intersection and just hold up one of my hands instead of a red light.

[Bill1954]

Hi DJ—

The red palms thing might be ‘palmar erythema’; it can be associated with cirrhosis, or more directly as a result of portal hypertension. I don’t recall; have you had a biopsy yet? Be sure to mention this to your doctor, and get his/her take on it. As to when it disappears, it might when the liver disease is resolved, but I’m not sure of that. Best to check with the doctor again:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palmar_erythema

“It is associated with various physiological as well as pathological changes, the principal one of which is portal hypertension. It is also seen in patients with liver dysfunction, such as chronic liver disease, and also in pregnant women. Palmar erythema may also be the result of thyrotoxicosis and dermatoses such as eczema or psoriasis, and is related to deep telangiectasias. It may also be a normal finding.

It has been attributed to high estrogen levels.

Palmar erythema occurs in about 30% of patients with rheumatoid arthritis especially those with elevated hemoglobin levels”


--Bill

[copyman]

like bill mentioned many things can cause red palms. i wouldn't worry about it to much. just let your doctor know about them next visit.