IT is a little-known condition first identified in Vikings but which is particularly prevalent amongst modern-day Scots.

Now a new website has been launched to raise awareness of the ailment and help get more sufferers treated.

Dupuytren’s disease, also known as Viking disease, is a surprisingly common hand condition with famous sufferers including Ronald Reagan, Margaret Thatcher and BBC cricketing commentator Jonathan Agnew.

Dupuytren’s disease makes the fingers bend inwards towards the palm so they cannot be straightened, making everyday tasks such as shaking hands, driving cars or opening containers particularly challenging. It is said to affect more than one million people across the UK.

In piping circles the condition is known as the Curse of the MacCrimmons, laid on them by a widow whose only son was killed by the clan. She foretold the MacCrimmons would cease to be the official pipers to the MacLeods of Dunvegan and would leave Skye forever.

The fingers of the MacCrimmon men bent so far into their palms they became unable to play the pipes, and from that day, any piper suffering from Dupuytren’s claims he has been hit by the curse.

It affects the connective tissue in the palm of the hand and the inside surface of the fingers and occurs when a collagen nodule forms in the palm of the hand resulting in a small lump. Eventually this can develop into a long “cord” which then contracts resulting in the finger being drawn in towards the palm of the hand. It cannot be cured but can be treated by both surgery and non-invasive methods.

Bonnie Hughes, 48, is one such sufferer, her family emigrated from Scotland in 1958 and she was brought up in Canada.

She said: “I developed Dupuytren’s after I dropped a glass tray on my hand when I was 18. The ring finger on my right hand went numb before eventually beginning to curl. By the age of 32 my finger was entirely curled inwards to my palm which made it impossible to do simple tasks like typing or shaking hands.

“I work in corporate brokering so have lots of meetings and shake a lot of hands, with my finger bent in it was like a masonic handshake and very embarrassing.”

She underwent surgery, but 10 years later her finger began curling again. Two years ago she had a non-invasive treatment on the NHS during which the tendon was injected before being manually straightened by a doctor.

The name Viking disease originates from the belief the disease first appeared among the Vikings but now it is called Dupuytren’s disease after the French surgeon who first operated on the condition. The Vikings spread Dupuytren’s disease throughout Northern Europe and possibly to other parts of the world.

Anna Schurer, who chairs the British Dupuytren’s Society, said: “The society are delighted to see a new source of good quality information.

“There is a clear need for increased awareness of this condition which affects so many people in the UK, particularly in Scotland and the north of England, as our new Viking disease map shows.”

The website is www.thisisdupuytrens.com.