Understanding Raynaud's Syndrome: Causes, Symptoms, and Management

What is it?

Raynaud’s phenomenon, also called Raynaud's syndrome or disease, is a condition that temporarily affects the blood supply to certain parts of the body – usually the fingers and toes. The condition occurs because your blood vessels go into a temporary spasm, which impairs the flow of blood. this is usually triggered by cold temperatures, anxiety, stress, and in some cases vibrations.
There are two types of Raynaud's:
primary – when the condition develops by itself, without being associated with another health condition (this is the most common type).
secondary – when it's caused by another health condition, mostly autoimmune diseases (such as lupus, rheumatoid arthritis and scleroderma) and other conditions.

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Additional names

This group contains additional names:
- Peripheral Vascular Disease
- Intermittent claudication
- Peripheral arterial insufficiency
- Peripheral arterial occlusive disease
- Peripheral artery insufficiency
- Dissection of Carotid Artery
- Bilateral carotid artery dissection
- Thromboangiitis Obliterans
- Buerger disease
- Dissection of Renal Artery
- Dissection of kidney Artery
- Dissection of Vertebral Artery
- Dissection of Iliac Artery

Signs & symptoms

the impaired flow of blood causes the affected area to change color to white, then blue and then red, as the blood-flow returns. You may also experience numbness, pain, and pins and needles.
Symptoms of Raynaud's can last from a few minutes to several hours.

Diagnosis

If according to your Complaints Your doctor suspects raynaud's disease, they may place your hands in cold water or cool air to see if you show symptoms of Raynaud’s. A full physical exam is also necessary, in order to look for other signs that may be related.
Further testing is usually recommended to find out whether you have primary or secondary Raynaud’s, including specific blood tests.

Treatment

In many cases, it may be possible to control the symptoms of Raynaud’s yourself by avoiding the cold, wearing gloves, exercising and using relaxation techniques when feeling stressed. If you smoke, quitting can also improve symptoms, as smoking can affect your circulation.
If your symptoms fail to improve, you may be prescribed a medication that encourages the blood vessels to widen, such as Nifedipine.
Surgery for Raynaud's is rare. It's usually only recommended if your symptoms are so severe that there's a risk the affected body part could lose their blood supply and begin to die.
Secondary raynaud's may require more treatment and, in some cases, a referral so a specialist.

☝️ This is not a substitute for professional medical advice. Please consult with your physician before making any medical decision.

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Source of Information - We analyze big data of more than 23 million patients de-identified medical records from the following sources:

National Institution of Health ∙ World Health Organization ∙ University of Illinois hospital