Doctor explains how to ease symptoms of Raynaud's Disease
We use your sign-up to provide content in ways you’ve consented to and to improve our understanding of you. This may include adverts from us and 3rd parties based on our understanding. You can unsubscribe at any time. More info
If you’ve never heard of Raynaud’s Disease, you’re not alone but it’s time to get to know the ins and outs of this common condition. Raynaud’s Disease affects up to 20 percent of the adult population worldwide, including 10 million people in the UK. We can’t be 100 percent certain about what causes Raynaud’s attacks, but the condition can be treated to avoid dangerous complications such as amputation. Express.co.uk reveals the symptoms of Raynaud’s Disease and whether or not Raynaud’s affects the heart.
Raynaud’s syndrome or phenomenon doesn’t normally cause severe problems, but it’s important to treat the condition straight away to avoid blocked arteries, dead tissue and amputation in the worst circumstances.
The disease causes some areas of your body, such as fingers and toes, to feel numb and cold in response to cold or stress.
This happens in other conditions and in perfectly healthy humans, which is why it’s so crucial to know the signs of the condition inside out.
Raynaud’s Disease symptoms
When you’re cold, anxious or stressed, your fingers and toes may change colour. This can be accompanied by:
- pain
- numbness
- pins and needles
- difficulty moving the affected area
- prickly feeling or stinging pain upon warming or stress relief
A Raynauld’s attack normally turns skin white as a result of blood flow restriction and then blue as the blood vessels react.
A stimulus (cold weather or emotional stress) causes the arteries to your fingers and toes to narrow, limiting blood flow.
When the skin is blue, this is typically when the coldness and numbness set in.
The Mayo Clinic adds: “As you warm and your circulation improves, the affected areas may turn red, throb, tingle or swell.
“Although Raynaud’s most commonly affects your fingers and toes, it can also affect other areas of your body, such as your nose, lips, ears and even nipples.”
After you warm up, the return of normal blood flow to the area can take 15 minutes.
However, the NHS site points out symptoms of Raynaud’s may last from a few minutes to a few hours.
When blood flow returns, your skin may turn red.
You can have primary or secondary Raynaud’s, and which type you have depends on the cause of your condition and the symptoms.
The Mayo Clinic explains that Primary Raynaud’s, also called Raynaud’s disease, is the most common form.
Primary Raynaud’s isn’t the result of an associated medical condition and can be so mild that many people don’t seek treatment as it resolves on its own.
Secondary Raynaud’s (Raynaud’s phenomenon), on the other hand, is caused by an underlying problem such as connective tissue diseases, artery diseases, carpal tunnel syndrome, injuries and certain medications, and this type tends to be more serious.
If secondary Raynaud’s is severe — which is rare — reduced blood flow to your fingers or toes could cause tissue damage and untreated cases might require removing the affected part of the body.
Since the heart pumps blood around the body using veins and arteries, you’d think that Raynaud’s has something to do with the heart.
Some studies suggest the low blood penetration in the heart tissue in patients with Raynaud’s disease and phenomenon leads to heart disease, but the British Heart Foundation stresses there is no link between the two.
The site states: “There’s no known link between Raynaud’s and heart disease.
“Although it’s a disorder that affects blood vessels, other conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis or systemic sclerosis (a rare connective tissue disease) may also cause it.
“Anyone who already suffers from Raynaud’s and is then diagnosed with heart disease should make sure that their doctor is aware of it.
“While several of the medicines prescribed to heart patients can improve the symptoms of Raynaud’s, others may make them worse.”
Source: Read Full Article
