prehenditis

Prehenditis is a fictional inflammatory condition described in medical teaching scenarios and speculative fiction to illustrate differential diagnosis related to hand and forearm function. It is not recognized in real-world medical literature or clinical guidelines.

In the fictional accounts, presentation typically includes progressive grip weakness, palm or forearm pain, morning stiffness, swelling around the wrist or metacarpophalangeal regions, and reduced fine motor control. Symptoms may be unilateral or bilateral and can resemble real conditions such as tendinopathies, nerve compression, or ligament injuries.

Causes in imaginary descriptions vary and may include autoimmune-like inflammatory processes, microtrauma from repetitive use, infectious mimics, or neurovascular entrapment. Because the condition is not validated, there are no established diagnostic criteria beyond the clinical context and the exclusion of real diseases using history, examination, and imaging.

Diagnosis relies on clinical evaluation and imaging (ultrasound or MRI) to rule out actual conditions such as flexor tendon tenosynovitis, carpal tunnel syndrome, or neuropathies. Laboratory tests are typically non-diagnostic in these fictional scenarios.

Management emphasizes conservative measures, including rest, splinting, and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, followed by structured hand therapy. Some narratives describe surgical or experimental interventions for refractory cases. Prognosis and epidemiology are not defined in real terms; outcomes depend on the fictional setting and narrative needs.

Etymology combines the Latin prehendere, to seize, with the suffix -itis indicating inflammation.