Mesothelioma symptoms

Finger clubbing

Finger clubbing means there are certain changes in the shape of your fingers and fingernails. It is also called digital clubbing or Hippocratic fingers. It can be a sign of a heart or lung condition.

What is finger clubbing?

Finger clubbing usually affects the top of the fingers on both hands. And can also affect toes. It seems to happen in stages:

there is softening of the base of the nail (nail bed) and redness (erythema) of the skin around the nail
the angle between the nail bed and the nail fold (the skin just below the cuticle) increases, which causes the nail to curve more than usual
the nail and the skin around the nail look shiny, and the nail has ridges along the length of it
the ends of the fingers look larger, giving the ‘clubbed’ appearance

Finger clubbing generally takes years to develop. But it can happen quicker in certain conditions such as a lung abscess.

Hypertrophic pulmonary osteoarthropathy (HPOA)

In the later stages of finger clubbing, extra areas of bone might form on the finger joints, wrists and ankles. This is sometimes mistaken for arthritis and is called hypertrophic pulmonary osteoarthropathy (HPOA).

Who can get finger clubbing?

Finger clubbing can be a sign of a number of underlying health conditions, particularly of the lungs or heart. This includes cancers such as lung cancer and mesothelioma. But finger clubbing can also be found in some people with thyroid problems or other conditions such as ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease. Many people with these conditions don’t have finger clubbing.

What causes finger clubbing?

It is not clear what causes finger clubbing. It may be due to large cells called megakaryocytes getting stuck in the small blood vessels in the tips of the fingers. Megakaryocytes are usually in the and make platelets, which we need for blood clotting.

When stuck in the fingertips, the megakaryocytes start to release growth factors which lead to an increase in blood vessels and tissue growth, and a build up of fluid.

Finger clubbing is unusual. If you think you might have it and are worried, do speak to your doctor. They can examine you and find out about any other symptoms you might have. They can send you for tests if necessary, such as a chest x-ray to check your lungs.

Find out about other symptoms of mesothelioma

Last reviewed: 29 Jun 2023

Next review due: 29 Jun 2026

Hypertrophic pulmonary osteoarthropathy (HPOA)

Hypertrophic pulmonary osteoarthropathy is a condition that affects some people with lung cancer.

What is mesothelioma?

Mesothelioma is a cancer that most commonly starts in the layers of tissue that cover each lung (the pleura). Read more about how common it is, what it is and who gets it.

Mesothelioma symptoms

Symptoms of pleural mesothelioma can include chest pain, shortness of breath, extreme tiredness and losing weight when not dieting. There aren't many symptoms in the early stages of mesothelioma.

What is lung cancer?

Lung cancer starts in the windpipe (trachea), the main airway (bronchus) or the lung tissue. Cancer that starts in the lung is called primary lung cancer.

Symptoms of lung cancer

Lung cancer doesn't always cause symptoms in its early stages. Symptoms can include a cough that won't go away, coughing up blood and breathlessness.

Mesothelioma main page

Mesothelioma is a cancer that most commonly starts in the sheets of skin-like tissue that cover each lung (the pleura). More rarely it starts in the sheet of tissue in the abdomen that covers the digestive system organs (the peritoneum).