Raynaud’s disease is a common condition that affects the blood supply to certain parts of the body, usually the fingers and toes.
You may have heard of it referred to as Raynaud’s syndrome, Raynaud’s phenomenon or just Raynaud's.
Why does it happen?
The condition occurs because your blood vessels go into a temporary spasm which blocks the flow of blood. This causes the affected area to change colour to white, then blue and then finally red as the blood flow returns.
You may also experience pain, numbness and pins and needles in the affected body parts. Symptoms can last from a few minutes to several hours.
Raynaud’s is usually triggered by cold temperatures or by anxiety or stress.
It is not a serious threat to your health but it can be annoying to live with. People with Raynaud’s often go for long periods without any symptoms and sometimes the condition goes away altogether.
Read more about the symptoms of Raynaud’s.
Treatment
In many cases it may be possible to control the symptoms of Raynaud’s using self-care techniques such as avoiding the cold, wearing gloves and using relaxation techniques when feeling stressed.
Quitting smoking can also help improve symptoms, as smoking can affect your circulation.
If the above does not help with the symptoms, then a medication called nifedipine has proved effective with some people.
Read more about the treatment of Raynaud’s.
Types of Raynaud's
There are two types of Raynaud's. It can either be:
- primary: when the condition develops by itself (this is the most common type)
- secondary: when it develops in association with another health condition
The causes of primary Raynaud’s are unclear. However 1 in 10 people with primary Raynaud’s will go on to develop a condition associated with secondary Raynaud’s such as lupus.
Most cases of secondary Raynaud’s are associated with conditions where the immune system goes wrong and starts attacking healthy tissue, such as:
- rheumatoid arthritis: when the immune system attacks the joints causing pain and swelling
- lupus: when the immune system attacks many different parts of the body causing a range of symptoms, such as tiredness, joint pain and skin rashes
Read more about what causes Raynaud’s.
Secondary Raynaud’s can cause a more severe restriction of blood supply so it does carry a higher risk of causing complications such as ulcers, scarring and in the most serious of cases of tissue death, which is known as gangrene.
Read more about the complications of Raynaud’s.
Who gets Raynaud’s?
Raynaud’s disease is a common condition. It may affect as many as one in every nine women and 1 in every 12 men. (It is hard to be entirely sure as rates can differ widely from area to area depending on how cold the temperature is).
Primary Raynaud’s usually begins in your 20s or 30s. Secondary Raynaud’s can develop at any age depending on the underlying condition it is associated with.
