Raynaud’s Awareness

October is Raynaud’s Awareness Month. The Raynaud’s Association, a 501(c)3 nonprofit, has launched a new initiative called “Don’t Turn a Cold Shoulder to Painful Fingers”. (1)

Raynaud’s disease is a condition in which people experience numbness or pain in their fingers, toes, and other extremities. About 5 to 10% of the population suffers from the disease. The condition can worsen with colder temperatures. Stress can also trigger symptoms. (1)

The campaign is encouraging patients and their doctorsto take their pain seriously. “Ninety percent of Raynaud’s sufferers don’t seek treatment and too many physicians pay short shrift to those who do,” says Lynn Wunderman, founder and chair of the Raynaud’s Association, in a news release. (1)

“Treatment is important because some sufferers may have an underlying condition such as systemic scleroderma or lupus. Early detection is key to successful treatment.”(1)

Common Symptoms

Symptoms include coldness in your toes and fingers and color changes in your skin when encountering cold or stress. You may also experience a warm, prickly feeling in the affected areas once you warm up or get relief from stress. (2)

Usually, the affected areas of your skin turn white during a Raynaud’s attack. They may then turn blue and tingle or swell. After warming them up, the skin might turn red and throb, and you may feel additional throbbing and tingling. Once you’ve warmed up, it can take as long as 15 minutes for normal circulation to return. (2)

Although the fingers and toes are the body parts most often affected by Raynaud’s, other areas can also be afflicted. These include the nose, lips, ears, and nipples. (2)

Causes of Raynaud’s

Doctors don’t completely understand the causes of this disease. However, they know that the blood vessels in the fingers and toes overreact to cold and stress. This causes the blood vessels to spasm. They narrow and constrict the blood flow to those body parts temporarily. (2)

There are two types of the disease, primary and secondary. Primary Raynaud’s is the most common type and isn’t associated with any other medical conditions. It can be mild and even go away on its own. People of any age can develop primary Raynaud’s, but it is most commonly developed between 15 and 30 years of age. (2)

Secondary Raynaud’s is caused by an underlying medical problem. It is less common than the primary type, but it is often more serious. (2)

Some of the main causes of secondary Raynaud’s are carpal tunnel syndrome, connective tissue diseases, diseases of the arteries, smoking, injuries to the hands or feet, and certain medications. Secondary Raynaud’s most commonly develops after age 40. (2)

Take Raynaud’s Seriously

Although numbness in the fingers and toes may not seem like a big deal, leaving Raynaud’s untreated can have severe consequences for patients. These include tissue damage, gangrene, skin ulcers, and amputation. (2)

If you have this disease, you can prevent attacks by bundling up when you go outdoors, warming up your car before you drive, and keeping your hands and feet warm indoors during the winter. You may even want to wear socks and mittens to bed. (2)

And if you’re a health provider or family member of someone who has Raynaud’s, take their condition seriously. Offer them the support and treatment they need. As the Raynaud’s Association says, “Don’t turn a cold shoulder to painful fingers.” (1)