​What is Raynaud’s Disease?

The winter months are upon us and we’re all about to start feeling the chill – cue furious hand-rubbing, the futile search for the other glove and hugging your morning coffee for hand-heating goodness. Until Raynaud’s stops you in your tracks, that is. If you’re one of the ten million UK sufferers of Raynaud’s disease you’ll be all too aware that these usual thermal remedies just aren’t enough to keep out the cold. With Raynaud’s Disease affecting your blood flow, hands turn white with the chill and living with this condition through the winter months can be incredibly uncomfortable and disruptive to your routine.

White Knuckled

Raynaud’s Disease is most easily recognisable by white fingers although it can also affect the toes and in some cases the nose, lips and ears. The disease, which causes blood vessels to spasm and block blood flow to extremities, is triggered by cold temperatures, and in some instances, stress and anxiety, leading the fingers to turn white. These “attacks” can last anywhere between a few minutes and several hours, during which it may be difficult to use your fingers for tasks such as typing, making  Raynaud’s, while not serious, a condition that can make everyday living far more troublesome.

Syndrome? Phenomenon? Disease?

The exact title to give Raynaud’s Disease – used as an umbrella term – can change depending on the exact nature of your case:

Primary Raynaud’s refers to Raynaud’s which has no apparent underlying cause such as a pre-existing medical condition and thanks to being inexplicable in its arrival, can also be known as Raynaud’s Phenomenon. In many cases of Raynaud’s phenomenon, symptoms are so mild that the condition never requires medical attention.

Secondary Raynaud’s refers to cases where a pre-existing condition, certain drugs or working environment (such as working with vibrating machinery) have triggered the disease. In these instances, it may be referred to as Raynaud’s Syndrome. Secondary Raynaud’s is less common than Primary Raynaud's, with symptoms which tend to be more severe.

Who Gets Raynaud’s?

Raynaud’s doesn’t discriminate at all, suffers of Primary Raynaud's can be as young as 15 when they first suffer an attack and while the disease is slightly more common in women than men, the risk increases for anyone living in cold climates. Secondary Raynaud’s tends to start after 35 years of age and is most common in those suffering from connective tissue diseases such as Scleroderma, or are on a course of drugs such as narcotics, over-the-counter medicines or beta-blockers.  Smokers are also thought to be more likely to develop the disease, and some research suggests that it may run in families.

Beating Raynaud’s

Key to living comfortably with Raynaud’s is keeping warm. A drop in temperature is all it takes to trigger an attack, but a warming pair of gloves is all it takes to fix that! Out store is full of heat treats to keep you toasty warm throughout the cold months, so  Raynaud’s won’t have to slow you down.

Visit Raynaud’s Disease.com for a great range of gadgets and garments to keep warm with winter!