As we welcome the start of February my medical awareness days calendar reminds me that this month is Raynaud's awareness month.
So what is Raynaud's and why should we be aware of it?
Many of us suffer from Raynaud's phenomenon, a condition where the sufferer's fingers and toes go white then blue, followed by turning red, itchy and painful. It is commonly triggered by cold conditions.
The underlying cause is spasm of the blood vessels causing lack of blood supply to the area, followed by increased blood supply when the spasm passes.
Most sufferers only have Raynaud's but it can be associated with other autoimmune conditions such as scleroderma, rheumatoid arthritis and lupus.
The condition is not life threatening but can be very painful for sufferers and affect their ability to carry out certain tasks.
In some cases it can lead to tissue damage and even gangrene but these are thankfully rare.
Treatment consists of trying to avoid triggers, wearing warm clothing and using heat pads. Stopping smoking if the person smokes as this increase the risk of complications and medication that widens the blood vessels can be tried.
No comments:
Post a Comment