RAYNAUD’S DISEASE
The condition where the fingers go cold, white or blue in response to exposure to cold is called Raynaud’s phenomenon first described by Maurice Raynaud, a medical professor in Paris, in 1862.
We now call Raynaud’s disease only those cases which appear to occur spontaneously and use the term Raynaud’s phenomenon for those where there is a definite underlying cause.
The disease is more common in young women but young men are also affected. The nerves which control the arteries of the fingers appear to be oversensitive. The arteries may go into spasm and prevent any blood flow under a variety of stimuli.
This may be exposure to cold such as going out in cold weather, putting the hands in cold water or just reaching into the refrigerator. Emotional factors may also play a part.
Raynaud’s phenomenon may occur in a number of potentially serious disorders such as systemic lupus erythematosis, polyarteritis nodosa and scleroderma. These are usually regarded as auto-immune diseases, where the body, as it were, develops allergies to its own tissues, producing antibodies which cause inflammation. The blood vessels are involved in this inflammation.
Buerger’s disease involves inflammation of both arteries and veins and is believed to occur only in smokers. Workers using vibrating tools may develop Raynaud’s phenomenon after many years.
Treatment consists in treating the underlying cause, if there is one. Some cases may respond to the use of drugs to dilate the arteries. Cutting the nerves which constrict the vessels may be of some use.
Most cases of Raynaud’s disease require no treatment, only care in avoiding the precipitating factor of cold exposure.
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