King Charles' 'sausage fingers' spark health concerns

Now that King Charles III is in the spotlight more than ever before, people have raised concerns about his noticeable 'sausage fingers'.

Photos of him waving to crowds and shaking hands with those mourning his late mother, Queen Elizabeth II, have sparked a debate, with a health professional also weighing into the conversation.

While Dr Gareth Nye said "loads of conditions" could lead to the 73-year-old's swollen, red fingers, he narrowed it down to a few things.

"Oedema is a condition where the body starts to retain fluids in the limbs, normally the legs and ankles but also in the fingers, which causes them to swell," Dr Nye told the Daily Star.

"To see if this is the cause, pressing the swollen area for about 15 seconds would cause a depression in the area."

It is known that women are more prone to oedema than men because of the female hormone, progesterone, that tends to leave them with swollen ankles just before their period.

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However in King Charles' case, it could be old age that is potentially causing oedema, which can be developed in older people from sitting for long periods of time.

King Charles has been pictured with swollen hands and feet many times, noticeably after long periods of flying or travelling to hot countries.

In fact, the monarch has even spoken about them in the past, jokingly calling them his 'sausage fingers' in 2012 while on tour in Australia after a long flight, according to Cornwall Live.

Dr Nye said another cause could be arthritis, a common condition in people over 60.

"It often affects three main areas in the hand — the thumb joint or either joints in the fingers," he told the Daily Star.

"Fingers usually become stiff, painful and swollen and although medication can help with the pain, the swelling can remain."

Other causes could be a high salt diet, or specific medications like those made for high blood pressure.

While there could be several reasons, Dr Nye has assured that this is not a cause for concern, claiming on Twitter that "it doesn't mean he's severely ill".

"There certainly aren't any immediate health concerns to be concluded from swollen fingers and is most likely a sign of his age," he concluded to the Daily Star.

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