PolydactylismSupernumerary Digits Hyperdactyly

By: Dan Hayes

Who can get it?• Everyone can get it

• Generations of families

• No specific pattern of how it started or how it is transferred.

• Asian ethnicity is most common on the hand.

How to tell

• Extra digit

• Recognizable by visual

• Hands and feet that have an extra finger or toe

How common is it?

• About 1 in every 1,000 children have this disorder

• One hand or foot

• Most common in Asians (slide 2)

Is it fatal?

• Polydactylism is not fatal

• It will not shorten life and can be treated in as little as a day

Can you be tested?

• There is no real test for polydactylism because it can be seen without testing

• Diagnosis can be made from birth

Is there treatment?• Yes there is

• Treatment can be anywhere from a single day in a hospital for surgery to a more complex treatment involving bones, ligaments and tendons.

Support Group

http://www.sw.org/web/patientsAndVisitors/adam?productId=117&pid=1&gid=003176

Scott and White Healthcare in Central Texas

Interesting Facts

• Very common in cats

• Tyler Steven Hayden is credited with discovery

• A Polydactyl can be anything from small skin tags to full fingers or toes.

Works CitedNurmi, Deborah. "Polydactyly and Syndactyly." Encyclopedia.com. 2006. Web. <http://www.encyclopedia.com/topic/Polydactyly_and_Syndactyly.aspx>.

"Polydactyly - My Child Has." Children's Hospital Boston. Web. 27 Jan. 2011. <http://www.childrenshospital.org/az/Site1073/mainpageS1073P0.html>.