King Charles' ‘swollen fingers’ leave experts concerned: ‘Worsening with time'

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King Charles’ increasingly ‘swollen fingers’ have doctors worrying that the underlying cause may be worsening for him, as per The Daily Star.

According to a doctor, King Charles’ prominently fat fingers seem even chunkier in new images from his state visit to Germany, leading him to believe that while his condition may not have changed, it could’ve worsened with time.

Speaking to The Daily Star, Dr Gareth Nye explained: “King Charles has always been known to have large fingers and previous suggestions for the possible causes away from his individual anatomy included oedema which is where fluid leaks out of the blood and stays within the tissues nearby leading to a swollen appearance.”

He then added: “Although King Charles's fingers are swollen, I do not feel that in this case oedema is the correct diagnosis due to the length of time they have been like this in addition to the apparent worsening of the situation.”

Dr Nye also rubbished gout as being the reason for Charles’ swollen fingers, saying: “Nor do I feel that gout is the cause. Although gout does impact on the hands… this condition normally impacts individual joints. The images here suggest the whole hand is involved which doesn’t agree with the diagnosis of gout,” he said.

The expert then shared what he believes to be the real reason behind the strange look of the monarch’s fingers, and said: “The most likely cause here is as it was 6 months ago and that King Charles is suffering with arthritis in the hands which seems to be worsening with time.”

“Arthritis is an extremely common condition in people over 60 however can be extremely debilitating… Although treatments and medications can help the condition, ultimately it will get worse over time.”

“This is particularly true in joints that are used more frequently which we can agree the hand is one. The condition most commonly associated with swollen fingers is Dactylitis which… is unique as the swelling remains even if the underlying inflammation is controlled which is likely what we see here,” Dr Nye explained.

Dr Nye also assured that while the condition is not life-threatening or ‘sinister’, the King is sure to know of it.

“Although this condition doesn’t lead me to believe anything sinister is underlying the King, it doesn’t mean the condition is something to be ignored and I'm sure King Charles is fully aware of the cause of finger issues,” he concluded.