A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis on the Prevalence of Dupuytren Disease in the General Population of Western Countries

Abstract

Background Dupuytren Disease (DD) is a fibroproliferative disease of palmar fascias of the hand. The prevalence of DD has been the subject of several reviews, though an accurate description of the prevalence range in the general population, and of the relation between age and DD is lacking. Methods A systematic review was performed by searching Embase and Pubmed on database specific mesh terms, and in title and abstract for "Dupuytren", "incidence", and "prevalence". Two reviewers independently assessed the papers using inclusion and exclusion criteria, and rated the included studies with a quality assessment instrument. In a meta-analysis the median prevalence, as function of age by gender, was estimated, accompanied with 95% prediction intervals. The observed heterogeneity in prevalence was investigated with respect to the quality of the study. Results Twenty-three of 199 unique identified papers were included. Number of participants ranged from 37 to 97,537, aging 18-100 years. Prevalence varied from 0.6-31.6%. The quality of studies differed, but could not explain the heterogeneity between studies. The median prevalence was estimated at 12%, 21%, and 29% at ages 55, 65, and 75 respectively, based on the relationship between age and prevalence determined from ten studies. Conclusions We have been able to describe a prevalence range of DD in the general population. Furthermore, the relationship between age and prevalence of DD is given per gender, including 95% prediction intervals. Hereby, it is possible to determine the prevalence at a certain age for the total general population, and for men and women separately.