Swollen fingers and how to prevent them in the winter

Arab weather - swelling of the fingers occurs in the winter season, which is called a cold bite or frostbite: when the extremities, especially the fingers, ears, and nose, are exposed to low temperatures, as severe cold in the air leads to the freezing of the upper layer of the skin and adjacent tissues. The risk of swollen fingers in winter varies according to the extent of the injury, as the injury may be mild and superficial at times, and it may reach the deep layers of the skin with continued exposure to frost, causing damage to the skin .

How does a cold bite happen?

The human body adapts to low temperatures by narrowing the blood vessels throughout the body, which helps increase the amount of blood flowing to the central body organs at the expense of the extremities. Thus, the reduced amount of blood available to warm the limbs makes them more susceptible to frost and susceptible to frostbite. In addition, there are several factors that increase the chance of frostbite, including :

• Prolonged frost exposure, such as homeless people, street vendors and fishermen .
• Being at heights .
• Strong winds along with low temperatures .
• Moisten the clothes that the person wears. This may happen upon sweating or exposure to rain or snow .
• The elderly, especially those with heart diseases, because their heart does not have sufficient capacity to deliver blood to distant areas, such as the extremities .
• People with Reynolds disease, which causes coldness in the extremities

Cold bite symptoms

The person may not feel the presence of a cold bite at first, due to the extreme cold, but often a cold bite is accompanied by the following symptoms in the affected area :

• Numbness and tingling .
• Coldness of the skin .
• Red, white, or yellow discoloration of the skin .
• The skin appears waxy and hard to the touch .
• The appearance of bubbles on the skin after it is warmed .
• A feeling of pain, burning, or slight tingling in the affected area .

Stages of cold bite occurrence

Cold bite occurs in several stages that vary in severity and complications, namely :

• Cold Bite : It is the mildest stage of a cold bite and does not cause significant damage to the skin in the affected area. A cold bite is accompanied by a feeling of numbness with constant exposure to frost and then a feeling of pain when the warmth returns to the extremities .

• Cold bite is treated with simple procedures, such as avoiding exposure to frost for additional periods and returning warmth to the affected limb, by placing it in warm water for about a quarter of an hour .
• It is important to avoid using hot water or sources of extreme heat to warm the affected area , in order to avoid burns or damage to the skin .
• You can take an over-the- counter pain reliever to relieve the pain associated with rewarming .

• Superficial cold bite , which is the stage in which the skin appears red at first, and then changes to a pale white color. A superficial cold bite may be accompanied by a feeling of pain and grunting, and liquid-filled bubbles may appear after the warmth has returned to the area within 12 to 36 hours. Although the skin is damaged by superficial frostbite, it grows again after the disappearance of the bubbles in most of the injured, while some suffer from permanent problems such as pain and numbness .

• When you touch the affected area at this stage, it will be hard to the touch .
• The damage at this stage reaches the upper skin tissue, which requires medical treatment as soon as possible .
• The treatment of superficial cold bite consists of rewarming the affected limb, then wrapping it with a material intended to protect it from any damage, and giving the patient an intravenous fluid injection to avoid dehydration, in addition to analgesics to relieve the pain that accompanies rewarming .
• The doctor may also draw fluid from the blisters and give antibiotics if they become inflamed .

• Deep cold bite , here the infection reaches deep areas of the skin with continued exposure to frost, and the color of the skin is paler and more blue than the other cold bite stages. In addition, deep cold bite is characterized by the following symptoms and signs :

• Numbness and loss of cold sensation in the affected area .
• Pain .
• Loss of muscle and joint function .
• Large bubbles appear a day or two after the injury has returned to warmth .
• Blackening and stiffness in the area of ​​injury due to tissue death .

• The treatment for a deep cold bite is similar to that of the superficial bite, in that it includes rewarming, wrapping the affected area, and giving the necessary fluids to prevent dehydration . In some cases, deep bite may lead to the formation of clots, which is dealt with by administering drugs that break down these clots, thus restoring blood flow to the affected area .
• A person with deep frostbite is evaluated after several weeks, and he may need surgery to scrape off the dead tissue or, in some cases, amputate the affected part (such as toes) .