Signs and Symptoms of Raynaud’s Disease

Raynaud’s disease, also known as Raynaud’s syndrome or simply Raynaud’s is a condition which affects blood vessels in extremities, most notably the fingers and toes. It causes them to contract, reducing blood flow to extremities in a very visible way.

The Visible Symptoms

Raynaud’s disease is most obvious during an attack. An attack of Raynaud’s causes blood flow to be reduced to the extremeties. This causes the affected skin to turn white and wax-like They can then turn blue and then red as the blood flow returns to the affected area. 

This final stage before the skin returns to its natural colour can be very painful (sharp pins and needles is a common complaint) and can feel like the skin is burning because of the returning blood flow. The skin can also swell.

While attacks of Raynaud’s most commonly affect fingers and toes, they can also affect other extremities, including noses, earlobes, lips and even nipples. In fingers and toes, they tend to start in one finger or toe and spread to others.

The length of a Raynaud’s attack can vary massively – they can last anywhere between a few minutes to a few hours.

The Invisible Symptoms

Raynaud’s disease can also cause pain and discomfort in the affected areas, even outside of an attack. This can make day-to-day life harder – causing difficulties using hands and feet. 

Because a Raynaud’s attack can be triggered by stress, stress relief can cause numbness, a tingling feeling or pain.

Severe Raynaud’s Disease Symptoms

With secondary Raynaud’s (Raynaud’s caused by another disease) it can be much more severe. In severe Raynaud’s cases there is a higher risk of complications. These can include finger ulcers and infections. In even rarer cases, the affected skin can become gangrenous (cause body tissue to die).

While this is very rare, it underlines the importance of keeping your Raynaud’s disease in check.

Despite the startling visible and invisible signsof Raynaud’s syndrome, most people do not find that it causes them any long-term damage to their extremities.

However, because the symptoms can cause such pain and discomfort, many people take steps to stave off the symptoms and effects of Raynaud’s disease.

Fending Off Raynaud’s Disease

The best way to defend against Raynaud’s disease is to keep your body warm at all times. There are several products which can help to do this, from specially-designed silver gloves and socks to keep heat in, to pocket hand warmers to stop your hands getting too cold when you’re out and about.

If you’re interested in getting your hands on some products to help combat Raynaud’s disease, head on over to RaynaudsDisease.com and check out our range of products.