Ally McCoist reveals he’s suffering from incurable condition dubbed ‘Viking’s disease’ that two operations failed to fix
RANGERS legend Ally McCoist has revealed he suffers from an incurable condition called Dupuytren’s contracture.
McCoist, who is now one of the nation’s most popular football broadcasters, opened up about the inherited condition during a recent appearance on talkSPORT.
He revealed that both his parents had suffered from it.
The former striker has undergone two operations on his hands over the years but the issue has returned.
McCoist explained: “I have got Dupuytren’s. It’s a hereditary thing where your fingers close in.
“I have had them done twice. I went to see the doctor and he said to me ‘Did your grandfather have it?’. I said ‘I don’t know’ because I never met any of my grandfathers, sadly they passed before I was born.
“I said to him ‘But my dad had it’. He lifted his head up and said ‘You’re unlucky because it normally skips a generation’. I said ‘That’s good news because I have got five boys’.
“My wee mum had it as well. My mum had it, my dad had it, it’s a hereditary thing.
“The bizarre thing with Dupuytren’s is when I went to see the doctor he said ‘I will operate on it but it will come back in roughly nine years’. And I swear to God nine years later it came back.
He added: “I have seen myself sending a text message which takes me five minutes to text with one finger when I should just dial the number.”
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Dupuytren’s contracture – also known as ‘Viking disease’ – is an inherited condition that causes an abnormal thickening of the skin in the palm of your hand at the base of your fingers.
It can cause one or more fingers to curl towards the palm or pull sideways.
It is estimated that two million people in Britain have some degree of Dupuytren’s.
The cause is unknown but it runs in families and worsens with age.
McCoist is one of the UK’s most beloved football pundits and commentators.
He currently works for talkSPORT, ITV and Sky Sports.
What is Dupuytren's Disease
Dupuytren's contracture mainly affects the ring and little fingers. It's common to have it in both hands at the same time.
It tends to get slowly worse over many months or years.
It’s not usually painful, but it can affect how you use your hand.
It starts with lumps, dimples or ridges on your palm.
Eventually, 1 or more of your fingers may get stuck in a bent position.
There are 3 main types of treatment:
- surgery to remove the affected tissue in the hand (fasciectomy)
- using a needle to make small cuts in the affected tissue (needle fasciotomy)
- surgery to remove the affected tissue and skin (dermofasciectomy)