Heberden's nodes can have various causes, ranging in severity from 'worrying' to 'serious'. Finding the true cause means ruling out or confirming each possibility – in other words, diagnosis.
Diagnosis is usually a complex process due to the sheer number of possible causes and related symptoms. In order to diagnose Heberden's nodes, we could:
Cause | Probability | Status |
---|---|---|
Rheumatoid Arthritis | 99% | Confirm |
Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis | 14% | Unlikely |
Vitamin B6 Need | 2% | Ruled out |
Heberden's nodes or Bouchard's nodes. Do you have hard, bony swellings on your finger joints?
Possible responses:
→ No / don't know→ One or two, but no deformation of the fingers → Several, but no deformation of the fingers → One or two, with deformation of the fingers → Several, with deformation of the fingers |
Rheumatoid arthritis sufferers also experience swelling/bumps in the same joints that are affected by Heberden's nodes, but the bumps are not the same.
In treating Heberden's nodes and trigger finger, B6 at 100-150mg per day may not work unless you eat one handful of raw pecans a day (i.e. you need both) says Dr. Goodheart. The nodes may not go away but pain and mobility should be much better over several weeks.