– Hello doctor. Yesterday my fingers were so numb when I came home from the market that I could barely hold my basket. And I feel like it’s getting worse and worse.
– You have suffered in this way for a long time froid ?
– As a child, I don’t remember, but my fingers have been frozen for years all winter. If you only knew how many pairs of gloves I bought!
– Is it only winter that you are embarrassed?
– Before, yes, but for some time, it is as soon as it gets a little cold. This summer I did a mountain hike in Madeira. You know, we walk under tunnels where it’s cold. When I left, my fingers were petrified! However, I had put on small gloves, I still have them now in my backpack.
– Have you observed what is happening exactly with your fingers?
– Oh, it’s simple, they go through all the colors! Well, I mean, they first turn all white, then they turn blue. And they go through red again before returning to their normal color … until next time.
– And when they return to their normal color, what do you feel?
– It’s very unpleasant. I feel a mixture oftinglingand De cramps which heralds the end of the crisis. But it is especially at the level of my two little fingers that it is annoying. My thumb is never touched.
What are the symptoms of Raynaud’s syndrome?
The doctor examines the hands of the young woman, which are unremarkable apart from the crisis. His pulse and blood pressure are normal. Which is reminiscent of Raynaud’s syndrome.
– Is it a bleeding problem?
– No, the quality of coagulation has nothing to do with it. It is a circulation problem due to spasms of the small blood vessels. When they contract, the blood stops passing and the fingers turn white, as you have seen. The color returns when the blood circulates again.
– But where does it come from, exactly?
– Little is known about the origin of the disorder. A particular fragility leads to poorly adapting to temperature differences and this is expressed in places furthest from the heart, therefore at the extremities. It is often family.
– But what can we do?
– Avoid sudden changes in temperature and of course the cold as much as possible. So protect yourself, like you do. But instead of gloves, prefer mittens that allow you to move your fingers. And be careful not to add more when taking drugs that may cause vasoconstrictions. This is the case with some anti-migraine sufferers. Are you a migraine sufferer?
– Yes, not bad, but it’s been better since I took triptans.
– No problem with the triptans. But you must absolutely avoid the rye ergot derivatives that were given before, because they promote vascular spasms. Ditto for beta blockers.
– But no medicine could relieve me?
– When the discomfort is significant, one can prescribe calcium channel blockers. But in your case, they do not seem justified to me. Take care of your hands, and run awayhumidity and stress, which are contributing factors.
When the body is exposed to cold, it reduces its heat loss by constricting the small arteries in the extremities. This results in an influx of blood into the deep veins, which helps the body maintain its internal temperature. In Raynaud’s syndrome, this reaction is excessive. In 80% of cases, its cause is unknown. But it can also accompany an autoimmune disease such as scleroderma (hardening of the skin).
Read also :
- Cold: is it good or bad for the body?
- How to warm up when it’s cold?
- 6 questions about the cold that burn our lips
