Ally McCoist reveals he’s suffering from incurable ‘Viking’s disease’ that two operations have failed to fix
McCoist has recently opened up on the inherited condition.
Ally McCoist has opened up on living with Dupuytren’s contracture; an incurable condition that causes his fingers to bend towards his palms.
The 62-year-old former Rangers striker, who recently received an OBE for services to football and broadcasting, is arguably one of the most popular pundits in the game through his work with Amazon Prime, TNT Sports and ITV.
He is also a regular on radio station talkSPORT and this week, McCoist revealed that he is suffering from an incurable condition that impacts his everyday life.
Dupuytren’s contracture, also known as Viking disease, is an abnormal thickening of the skin in the palm of the hand which can cause the fingers to curl towards the palm or pull sideways.
It has been given the name Viking disease due to its prevalence in the north of Europe and those of Northern European descent.
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According to tradition, the condition was common among the Vikings after the disease was spread among the populations they intermarried with.
There is currently no cure, but your fingers can be straightened with surgery if it’s severe.
McCoist has gone under the knife on two separate occasions but as he revealed on talkSPORT, the condition came back several years later.
He 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.”
McCoist is a regular on our screens. Image credit: Getty
McCoist continued: “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.
“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.”
According to the NHS website, Dupuytren’s contracture mainly affects the ring and little fingers and it is common to have it in both hands at the same time. It’s not usually painful, but it can affect how you use your hand.
Eventually, one or more of your fingers may get stuck in a bent position. Image credit: NHS
The exact cause is unknown, but it’s been linked to having a family history of the condition, smoking and having diabetes or epilepsy.
