Raynaud's phenomenon and its relationship to cold weather

Arab weather - Raynaud's syndrome or phenomenon is a common phenomenon represented by a contraction of blood vessels leading to a lack of blood supply in the fingers of the hand, and it may sometimes affect the toes, ears, nose and lips, which leads to symptoms, the most important of which is a change in the color of the fingers to blue or white and numbness, Then these symptoms disappear when the blood supply is restored. Raynaud's phenomenon usually lasts for a few minutes, but it may last for several hours, and is usually due to cold or stress, in addition to the presence of many causes that cause Raynaud's syndrome such as genetic causes, age, and sex (it usually affects women more than men). It has been observed that the occurrence of this condition is relatively more frequent during the cold winter season compared to other seasons of the year.

What are the symptoms of Raynaud's phenomenon?

Raynaud's phenomenon has many symptoms, some of which are common and rare, and the symptoms include the following:

1. Feeling pain.
2. Color change, mainly represented by paleness.
3. Feeling cold or numb.
4. These symptoms usually go away with heating the affected area.

What are the causes of Raynaud's phenomenon?

Raynaud's phenomenon is divided into primary and secondary phenomena that can be attributed to other diseases.

Primary Raynaud's phenomenon

Raynaud's phenomenon is described mainly when the inability to find an explanatory cause for it, and it is not accompanied by another disease or illness, and some call it "cold allergy", and it usually affects adolescent females in the period of adolescence and youth.

It is believed to be a hereditary phenomenon, at least in part, although no specific genes have been found to cause the disease.

Among the factors that increase the chance of developing Raynaud's phenomenon:

1. Smoking, as it increases the severity of symptoms as well.
2. Sources of caffeine, such as coffee and tea.
3. Hormones such as estrogen.
4. Beta blockers, such as bisoprolol, which are mainly used to treat stress and heart problems.
5. People with Raynaud's phenomenon are more likely to have migraine headaches and angina pectoris.

Secondary Raynaud's phenomenon

What is meant by this is that the phenomenon follows another disease, and disappears with the treatment of this disease, and among the diseases that cause Raynaud's phenomenon:

1. Scleroderma (English: Scleroderma).
2. Lupus (English: Systemic Lupus Erythomatosus).
3. Rheumatoid Arthritis.
4. Sjogren Syndrome (Sjogren Syndrome)
5. Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome.
6. Anorexia Nervosa.
7. Arteriosclerosis.
8. Buerger's disease.
9. Some medications, such as chemotherapy drugs, bromocriptine (English: Bromocriptine), and sulfasalazine (English: Sulfasalazine).

There are some jobs that increase the chance of developing Raynaud's phenomenon, such as:

1. Jobs in which a person is exposed to a loud vibration, such as using an excavator.
2. Jobs in which a person is exposed to vinyl chloride or mercury.
3. Exposure to cold

What is the relationship of Raynaud's to cold weather?

Exposure to cold in Raynaud's phenomenon leads to narrowing of the blood vessels supplying the fingers of the hand, which leads to the discoloration of the fingers in a pale white color at the beginning, and therefore to deprive these areas of blood, and this is accompanied by a feeling of numbness and cold, then the color changes to blue, due to the consumption of oxygen in The fingers and the accumulation of carbon dioxide, which leads to the discoloration of the blood in a color close to blue, and in the end, the seizure ends with the return of blood flow to the fingers, coloring them in red, indicating the return of perfusion, and then the fingers return to their normal color, accompanied by swelling and a feeling of tingling in Fingers.

Patients differ in the way they respond to cold. Some suffer from symptoms only when the fingers ’temperature is low, such as not wearing gloves in cold weather, or holding a cup that contains a cold drink, and others suffer from symptoms when the whole body is exposed to cold.

A person can examine himself if he suspects Raynaud's phenomenon, by holding a cup containing a cold drink, or immersing the hand in ice water, and if the fingers change color and do not return to their normal color within 20 minutes, this raises suspicions of infection Raynaud's phenomenon, bearing in mind that this examination does not dispense with a visit to the doctor to be sure, but rather may give the patient an idea of ​​the nature of the symptoms he is suffering from.

Symptoms can be reduced by adhering to warm places during the winter season, wearing gloves in cold weather, and using a straw or cup provided with a hand when consuming cold drinks.
And when heating the fingers after being colored, it is preferable to expose them to a moderate temperature instead of high heat, and it is preferable to warm them with gloves or lukewarm water instead of the heater or direct exposure to fire and heat, in order to avoid swelling in the fingers.

It is preferable to avoid a sudden transition between extreme temperatures, such as moving from a very cold place to a very warm place, and it is also advised to keep the hands in the pockets when walking in cold weather continuously instead of taking them out and inserting them into the pockets continuously, in order to avoid the effect of heat change, in addition to directing a heater The car comes to the hands when driving, as driving a car during the winter leads to cold hands and thus symptoms.

The car’s heating can be turned on for a few minutes before getting into the car on cold days, as the steering wheel, especially if it is covered with leather, is one of the coldest parts of the driver’s cabin.

How is Raynaud's phenomenon diagnosed?

Diagnosis is mainly done by excluding the presence of any of the aforementioned diseases, by carefully taking the medical history and conducting a clinical examination, but some tests can be done as a precaution, such as:

1. Measuring the pressure in the artery of the finger before and after the onset of symptoms, as a difference in my reading of pressure of 15 mm Hg is sufficient to diagnose the phenomenon.
2. Doppler ultrasound , to assess the quality of blood supply.
3. Blood cell count.
4. Autoimmune tests , as many autoimmune diseases may be accompanied by Raynaud's phenomenon.

How is Raynaud's phenomenon treated?

Drug therapy is used in severe cases, when previous measures are no longer helpful in relieving the symptoms of Raynaud's syndrome. Among the most commonly used drugs are those that expand blood vessels to increase blood flow to the extremities, and perhaps the most important of them are calcium channel blockers, especially in the case of type 1 syndrome (as for type 2 infection, the causative disease must be treated first).

There are many medicines that help reduce the occurrence and severity of symptoms, such as:

1. Calcium channel inhibitors, such as nifedipine (English: Nifedipine) and amlodipine (English: Amlodipine). These drugs are usually the first option in the treatment of Raynaud's phenomenon, usually the treatment is started by using one of them, and in the event that no improvement is observed in the condition, it is replaced by another type. Thus, it is usually started with a small dose and is gradually increased by the supervising doctor for the purpose of reaching For effective and safe dosage.
2. Aspirin may be prescribed for severe cases.
3. Alpha-blockers, such as Prazosin.

Usually, these drugs are used for a temporary period of time and then stopped (for example, they are used only in the winter season), as many studies indicate that the first type of Raynaud's syndrome can be treated permanently and is therefore not chronic.

As for the second type of Raynaud's syndrome, other types of vasodilators are used, such as nitroglycerin, which is available in the form of patches placed on the skin.

How to prevent Raynaud's phenomenon?

There are some preventive measures that help reduce the symptoms of Raynaud's syndrome during cold weather, by reducing heat loss from the body (that is, keeping the body warm), to reduce the severity of narrowing of blood vessels and reduced blood flow to the extremities. Through the type of clothes that are worn and the method of heating the house or workplace, and among the most important of these procedures that are recommended to follow:

1. Try to keep your limbs covered by wearing socks, gloves, and hats with thick fabrics, which work to reduce heat loss from the body, thus keeping these limbs warm.
2. Try to keep your limbs in a state of regular movement, such as squeezing a stress ball or a slow walk inside the home or office.
3. Avoid carrying anything for a long time, as bending the fingers of the hands for a long time prevents sufficient blood from reaching the fingertips.
4. Avoid moving or pressing the fingers repeatedly, such as pressing the computer buttons or playing the piano, etc.
5. Try to eat foods that keep you warm, such as soups or spicy foods, if possible.
6. Avoid smoking, as it has a negative effect on narrowing blood vessels.
7. When symptoms appear, try placing your hands in warm water or under the armpits, or trying to move your arms in a circular motion.
8. Treat any skin infections or ulcers as soon as possible.

Consult your doctor in changing or adjusting the dose of some drugs that narrow blood vessels, and the most popular of these drugs are:

1. Clonidine.
2. Triptans.
3. Ergotamine.
4. Block non-specific beta receptors, such as carvedolol and propranalol.

Source: Cura