Digital clubbing (Q94806)

Clubbing of the fingers and toenails is an anatomical abnormality resulting from swelling of the soft tissues of the terminal phalanx of a digit which obliterates the normal angle between the base of the nail and the digit. It may become manifest early in life as a hereditary defect in otherwise healthy individuals but is also associated with a range of underlying systemic disorders including cardiac disease (cyanotic congenital heart disease, infective endocarditis), pulmonary disease (empyema, cystic fibrosis) and thyroid disease (Graves disease).