Having blue white cold feet ? Do you know about Raynaud's phenomenon ?
What is Raynaud's disease?
Raynaud disease causes a decrease in the blood flow to the extremities of fingers of hands and feet. It can also result in less blood flow to the toes, ears, nipples, nose, and knees. The reason behind this less blood supply can be blood vessels spasms in the respective areas. Moreover, Raynaud's disease is the common cause of foot pain. Vascular spasms can happen due to an immediate response to the emotional upset, stress, and cold.
Symptoms:
The most common sign and symptoms of Raynaud's disease include:
Color change in the toes, skin, and extremities in response to the stress and cold
Cold toes and fingers
Numbness, stinging pain, and prickly feelings when the stress is relieved or you warm the body part
During the initial Raynaud's attack, your skin color may turn white (initially). After some time, the skin color tends to change to blue and numbness and cold feelings. With the warming up of the body part, circulation to the respective area increases, which causes swelling, tingling, and redness of the affected area.
Types of Raynaud's disease:
Raynaud's disease has two main types:
Primary Raynaud's: This is the most common type of Raynaud's disease, which isn't always the result of any comorbidity or underlying medical condition. In some cases, this condition can be so mild that people suffering from it won't seek any medical treatment or attention. This type of Raynaud disease can resolve spontaneously after some time.
Secondary Raynaud's: The other name for the secondary Raynaud's is Raynaud's phenomenon. The reason behind this condition can be any underlying disease or problem. Secondary Raynaud is less common than the condition's primary form, but it can be more complicated or serious than it.
Risk factors:
The most common risk factors involved in Raynaud's phenomenon or disease are:
Age – 15-30 years of age for the primary Raynaud's disease
Gender – more prevalent among women than the men
Climate – more incidence among the population living in the colder areas
Genetics and family history – more chances of prevalence among first-relatives as children, siblings, and parents
Treatment and prevention of Raynaud's disease:
The best treatment approach for Raynaud's disease is preventing cold in winter. Layering and dressing up is the most effective way of preventing exposure to cold. Different medications are also available for treating the worse condition types.
The most common medications are:
Nitro bid – topical nitroglycerin ointment – according to the clinical trials, nitroglycerin ointments have a systematic and local effect on the body. On the one hand, blood pressure and cardiac output decrease, while on the other hand, the blood flow in the fingers increases
Procardia – Procardia is the calcium channel blocker drug, which can have significant utilization in treating Raynaud's disease. Platelet activation in Raynaud's disease can be the main cause of blood supply blockage in the associated part due to any underlying disease or problem. Procardia can help lower the beta-thromboglobulin levels in the case of Raynaud's disease. Platelet activation inhibition through the nifedipine can clinically improve the symptoms of Raynaud's disease in the body
Takeaway:
RD or Raynaud's disease is more prevalent in cold regions or cold seasons. The best way to prevent the occurrence of the disease is the prevention through appropriate precautions and measures.
References:
Cooke, J. P., & Marshall, J. M. (2005). Mechanisms of Raynaud's disease. Vascular Medicine, 10(4), 293-307.
Bowling, J. C. R., & Dowd, P. M. (2003). Raynaud's disease. The Lancet, 361(9374), 2078-2080.
Freedman, R. R., & Mayes, M. D. (1996). Familial aggregation of primary Raynaud's disease. Arthritis & Rheumatism: Official Journal of the American College of Rheumatology, 39(7), 1189-1191.
Surwit, R. S., Pilon, R. N., & Fenton, C. H. (1978). Behavioral treatment of Raynaud's disease. Journal of Behavioral Medicine, 1(3), 323-335.
