Systemic Conditions & Therapies

Systemic disease

Systemic disease is disease that influences the entire body, instead of being confined to a body part or organ. Examples of systemic diseases include influenza and systemic lupus erythematous, a malady in which the body's immune system attacks the body itself.

The hands, being composed of many types of tissue, including veins, nerves, skin and skin-related tissues, bones, and muscles, tendons, ligaments, may demonstrate changes that reflect a disease that influences other parts of the body or even the entire body. These are known as systemic diseases. The hands may demonstrate changes noticed by the patient or his/her hand surgeon even before the disease is recognized.