Early warning signs in your hands that could indicate heart disease or lung cancer

Your hands can reveal a lot about you, from the hardness and callouses formed through years of physical work to the softness that comes with a life of ease. However, they can also indicate the onset of serious health issues, such as heart disease and lung cancer.

Heart disease is the second leading cause of death in the UK after dementia, claiming over 60,000 lives each year due to related conditions. While genetics can influence the likelihood of developing heart disease, early detection can lead to preventative measures like dietary changes or medication.

Lung cancer, the fifth leading cause of death in the UK, prematurely claims the lives of 95 individuals daily. Besides quitting smoking to reduce your risk of developing lung cancer or mesothelioma, early symptom detection and consultation with your GP can increase survival rates by up to 20 times.

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Even though your hands are far from the core of these health issues, they can exhibit various symptoms indicating something seriously wrong within your body. While most of these signs can be harmless, there are certain indications of ill health that should always be brought to the attention of a medical professional.

Alterations in the shape or colour of your fingers can signify a range of conditions, many of which are harmless, but some can be life-threatening. If your fingers or tendons begin to swell, it might be time to consult your doctor, reports Gloucestershire Live.

Finger clubbing

When the tips of your fingers or toes begin to swell and the skin around your nails becomes glossy, this is referred to as finger clubbing, digital clubbing, or sometimes Hippocratic fingers. As the top of the digit swells, clubbing often alters the shape and angle of the toenail, which frequently turns red and feels warm.

Clubbing usually develops gradually over several years, but a lung abscess can trigger a sudden onset. According to Mount Sinai Hospital, lung cancer is the most common cause of finger clubbing, although it can signal other conditions, and not everyone with the disease will develop clubbed fingers.

It typically begins at the base of the fingernail before spreading, causing the nails to curve more than usual. However, there's a simple test to determine if a curve in your finger is clubbing - press your fingernails together, and if you see a small, diamond-shaped gap of light, your fingers are likely normal.

While finger and toe clubbing can also indicate problems with your heart and thyroid, as well as lung cancer and mesothelioma, Cancer Research UK describes it as an "unusual" condition. They advise: "If you think you might have it and are worried, do speak to your doctor."

"They can examine you and learn about any other symptoms you might have. If necessary, they can arrange for tests, such as a chest x-ray to examine your lungs."

Once the root cause of the clubbing is addressed, the swelling should subside.

Swollen knuckles

High cholesterol levels in your body are typically only detectable through a blood test carried out by your GP. However, for those with an inherited condition known as familial hypercholesterolaemia, indulging in too many takeaways and neglecting self-care can lead to swollen knuckles.

This is referred to as tendon xanthomata, a condition resulting from the accumulation of cholesterol around your tendons, which can impact the knuckles on your hand, your knees, and your Achilles tendon. While high cholesterol levels and the resultant heart disease are usually linked with older adults, if you're one of the 220,000 individuals in the UK with this genetic condition, the swelling can begin in early adulthood.

Research indicates that people with this condition often experience arterial thickening due to high cholesterol levels from the age of 11, according to an NHS study. This makes it crucial to identify these symptoms and implement the necessary lifestyle changes to counter them.

Only eight per cent of those with this familial condition have been recognised by the health service, so if you observe your knuckles swelling and have other yellowish bumps on your hand, or around your eyes, it might be worth getting checked out. However, for most Brits, the only way to determine your cholesterol level is by undergoing a blood test administered by a healthcare professional.

The American Academy of Dermatology has highlighted that swelling in the feet and lower legs can be a sign of heart disease: "Many diseases of the heart cause fluid to build up in your feet and lower legs. As the fluid builds up, you may see swelling, which can extend as far as the upper legs and groin."

According to the NHS, this swelling might be "better in the morning and get worse later in the day".

Bruised fingers

The appearance of unexplained bruises on your fingers could point to serious underlying health issues such as blood disorders. Fingers are an uncommon place for people to develop bruises without a noticeable injury or trauma.

Leukaemia UK's Research Director Simon Ridley told the Express: "One of the common warning signs and symptoms of leukaemia is bruising."

"These bruises are different to the types which we all get from time to time as they can appear in unusual or unexpected locations, such as on the hands for adults."

Every year, nearly 5000 Brits lose their lives to Leukaemia. Despite significant advancements made in survival rates, the illness still carries a 40 per cent fatality rate.

Recognising the early symptoms and reporting them to your GP is critical in increasing your chances of survival.

If your fingers have changed colour, without bruising, this could also be a sign of Raynaud's phenomenon, where blood stops flowing properly to the fingers and toes, causing discolouration.

This is often onset by stress but is frequently harmless. If it becomes painful or associated with other conditions, it can be an indicator of lupus, or Crohn's disease.

Other symptoms of lung cancer

Finger clubbing is one of the less common symptoms of lung cancer or mesothelioma, the more common symptoms are:

• A persistent cough that lasts three weeks or more

• Breathlessness

• Wheezing

• Frequent chest infections

• A cough that changes or gets worse

• Chest and/or shoulder pain

• Coughing up blood or blood in your phlegm

• Unexplained fatigue or lack of energy

• Hoarseness

• Swelling in the face or neck.

While these symptoms don't always mean you have lung cancer, you should speak to your GP if you have any concerns. According to the NHS, anyone diagnosed with lung cancer in its first stage have a 20 times higher chance of surviving for five years of more.

Other symptoms of heart disease

The most obvious sign of coronary heart disease is a heart attack, or angina, but there are a variety of symptoms that, if experienced continuously or together with other symptoms, could be a sign that there is something wrong with your heart. Those symptoms include:

• Chest pain

• Shortness of Breath

• Coughing or Wheezing

• Swelling in the legs, ankles, or feet

• Poor circulation

• Fatigue

• Palpitations

If you have any concerns about your health, you should always speak to your doctor about your symptoms as your first port of call.