What is Raynaud's disease?

There are many medical diseases that people without relevant knowledge don’t understand well, and Raynaud’s disease is probably a disease that few people have heard of. The main symptom of this disease is that when a person is exposed to cold or irritation, the limbs will cramp and appear pale and purple. Moreover, in today's medicine, the research on the cause of Raynaud's disease is still not very clear, but everyone should also have some appropriate knowledge about Raynaud's disease.

What is Raynaud's disease

Raynaud's disease is a disease characterized by paroxysmal contraction of small arteries in the extremities, causing ischemic changes in the extremities after exposure to cold or emotional stress. It is also called extremity vasospasm.

The cause of Raynaud's disease is still not fully understood. It is related to genetic and environmental factors. Cold stimulation, emotional excitement or mental stress are the main triggering factors.

For example, when people from the south go to the north, the change in temperature will cause the skin on their fingers to turn white, purple, cold and numb, as if they were pricked by needles.

Symptoms of Raynaud's disease

When Raynaud's disease strikes, the fingertips (toes) show typical three-stage symptoms:

① Paleness, initially caused by paroxysmal spasm of small arteries, ischemia of finger or toe tips. During an attack, the local temperature drops or there is numbness or stiffness. If the motor nerves are affected, it may also cause movement disorders and sweating.

② Cyanosis: After a few minutes, the spasm of small arteries is relieved, and the capillaries dilate and passively become congested, resulting in cyanosis.

③Flush. Finally, the arterioles dilate again, circulation is restored, and reactive congestion, flushing and swelling occur. In severe cases, due to prolonged vascular spasm, there may be changes in nail nutrition, thinning of the fingertips, poor elasticity, and even destruction of the joint surface, deformity, and gangrene of the fingertips.

The above is detailed information about what Raynaud's disease is and what are the symptoms of Raynaud's disease. I hope it can help you.