Raynaud syndrome

Raynaud syndrome
Synonyms Raynaud's, Raynaud's disease, Raynaud's phenomenon, Raynaud's syndrome[1]
A hand with pale fingers due to Raynaud's
Pronunciation
  • /rˈnz/ ray-NOHZ
Specialty Rheumatology
Symptoms An affected part turning white, then blue, then red, burning[2]
Complications skin sores, gangrene[2]
Usual onset 15–30 year old females[3][4]
Duration Up to several hours per episode[2]
Risk factors Cold, emotional stress[2]
Diagnostic method Based on the symptoms[3]
Similar conditions Causalgia, erythromelalgia[5]
Treatment Avoiding cold, calcium channel blockers, iloprost[3]
Frequency 4% of people[3]

Raynaud syndrome, also known as Raynaud's phenomenon, is a medical condition in which spasm of arteries cause episodes of reduced blood flow. Typically, the fingers, and less commonly the toes, are involved. Rarely, the nose, ears, or lips are affected.[1] The episodes result in the affected part turning white and then blue. Often, there is numbness or pain. As blood flow returns, the area turns red and burns. The episodes typically last minutes, but can last up to several hours.[2]

Episodes are often triggered by cold or emotional stress.[2] There are two main types: primary Raynaud's, when the cause is unknown, and secondary Raynaud's, which occurs as a result of another condition.[3] Secondary Raynaud's can occur due a connective tissue disorder, such as scleroderma or lupus, injuries to the hands, smoking, thyroid problems, and certain medications, such as birth control pills.[6] Diagnosis is typically based on the symptoms.[3]

The primary treatment is avoiding the cold. Other measures include the discontinuation of nicotine or stimulants use. Medications for treatment of cases that do not improve include calcium channel blockers and iloprost. Little evidence supports alternative medicine.[3] Severe disease may rarely be complicated by skin sores or gangrene.[2]

About 4% of people have the condition.[3] Onset of the primary form is typically between ages 15 and 30 and occurs more frequently in females.[3][4] The secondary form usually affects older people. Both forms are more common in cold climates.[4] It is named after the French physician Maurice Raynaud, who described the condition in 1862.[3]

Signs and symptoms

Raynaud's affecting all five fingers
Blueish coloration

The condition can cause pain within the affected extremities, discoloration (paleness), and sensations of cold and/or numbness. This can often be distressing to those who are not diagnosed, and sometimes it can be obstructive. If someone with Raynaud's is placed into a cold climate, it could potentially become dangerous.

  1. When exposed to cold temperatures, the blood supply to the fingers or toes, and in some cases the nose or earlobes, is markedly reduced; the skin turns pale or white (called pallor) and becomes cold and numb.
  2. When the oxygen supply is depleted, the skin color turns blue (called cyanosis).
  3. These events are episodic, and when the episode subsides or the area is warmed, the blood flow returns, and the skin color first turns red (rubor), and then back to normal, often accompanied by swelling, tingling, and a painful "pins and needles" sensation.

All three color changes are observed in classic Raynaud's. However, not all patients see all of the aforementioned color changes in all episodes, especially in milder cases of the condition. Symptoms are thought to be due to reactive hyperemias of the areas deprived of blood flow.

In pregnancy, this sign normally disappears owing to increased surface blood flow. Raynaud's has also occurred in breastfeeding mothers, causing nipples to turn white and become extremely painful.[7] Nifedipine, a calcium channel blocker and vasodilator, was recommended to increase blood flow to the extremities and noticeably relieved pain in the breast in an extremely small study group.[8]

Cause

Primary

Raynaud's disease, or "Primary Raynaud's", is diagnosed if the symptoms are idiopathic, that is, if they occur by themselves and not in association with other diseases. Some refer to Primary Raynaud's disease as "being allergic to coldness". It often develops in young women in their teens and early adulthood. Primary Raynaud's is thought to be at least partly hereditary, although specific genes have not yet been identified.[9]

Smoking increases frequency and intensity of attacks, and there is a hormonal component. Caffeine also worsens the attacks. Sufferers are more likely to have migraines and angina.

Secondary

Raynaud's phenomenon, or "Secondary Raynaud's", occurs secondary to a wide variety of other conditions.

Secondary Raynaud's has a number of associations:

Raynaud's can herald these diseases by periods of more than twenty years in some cases, making it effectively their first presenting symptom. This may be the case in the CREST syndrome, of which Raynaud's is a part.

Patients with Secondary Raynaud's can also have symptoms related to their underlying diseases. Raynaud's phenomenon is the initial symptom that presents for 70% of patients with scleroderma, a skin and joint disease.

When Raynaud's phenomenon is limited to one hand or one foot, it is referred to as Unilateral Raynaud's. This is an uncommon form, and it is always secondary to local or regional vascular disease. It commonly progresses within several years to affect other limbs as the vascular disease progresses.[14]

Mechanism

Underlying mechanism

Its pathophysiology includes hyperactivation of the sympathetic nervous system causing extreme vasoconstriction of the peripheral blood vessels, leading to tissue hypoxia.

Diagnosis

Heat signatures of a Raynaud's hand (top) and a healthy hand (bottom). Red indicates warm areas whilst green indicates cool areas. Image taken with a thermographic camera.
Consensus diagnostic criteria Raynaud's phenomenon

It is important to distinguish Raynaud's disease (primary Raynaud's) from phenomenon (secondary Raynaud's). Looking for signs of arthritis or vasculitis as well as a number of laboratory tests may separate them. If suspected to be secondary to systemic sclerosis, one tool which may help aid in the prediction of systemic sclerosis is thermography.[15]

A careful medical history will often reveal whether the condition is primary or secondary. Once this has been established, an examination is largely to identify or exclude possible secondary causes.

To aid in the diagnosis of Raynaud's phenomenon, multiple sets of diagnostic criteria have been proposed.[16][17][18][19] Table 1 below provides a summary of these various diagnostic criteria.[20]

Recently, International Consensus Criteria were developed for the diagnosis of primary Raynaud's phenomenon by a panel of multiple experts in the fields of rheumatology and dermatology.[20]

Management

Secondary Raynaud's is managed primarily by treating the underlying cause and as primary Raynaud's, avoiding triggers, such as cold, emotional and environmental stress, vibrations and repetitive motions, and avoiding smoking (including passive smoking) and sympathomimetic drugs.[21]

Medications

Medications can be helpful for moderate or severe RP.

Surgery

Alternative medicine

Evidence does not support the use of alternative medicine, including acupuncture and laser therapy.[3]

References

  1. 1 2 "What Is Raynaud's?". NHLBI. 21 March 2014. Retrieved 1 October 2016.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "What Are the Signs and Symptoms of Raynaud's?". NHLBI. 21 March 2014. Retrieved 1 October 2016.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Wigley, FM; Flavahan, NA (11 August 2016). "Raynaud's Phenomenon.". The New England Journal of Medicine. 375 (6): 556–65. PMID 27509103. doi:10.1056/nejmra1507638.
  4. 1 2 3 "Who Is at Risk for Raynaud's?". NHLBI. 21 March 2014. Retrieved 1 October 2016.
  5. Barker, Roger A. (2005). The A-Z of Neurological Practice: A Guide to Clinical Neurology. Cambridge University Press. p. 728. ISBN 9780521629607.
  6. "What Causes Raynaud's?". NHLBI. 21 March 2014. Retrieved 1 October 2016.
  7. Holmen OL, Backe B (2009). "An underdiagnosed cause of nipple pain presented on a camera phone". BMJ. 339: b2553. doi:10.1136/bmj.b2553.
  8. Anderson JE, Held N, Wright K (April 2004). "Raynaud's phenomenon of the nipple: a treatable cause of painful breastfeeding". Pediatrics. 113 (4): e360–4. PMID 15060268. doi:10.1542/peds.113.4.e360.
  9. Pistorius MA, Planchon B, Schott JJ, Lemarec H (February 2006). "[Heredity and genetic aspects of Raynaud's disease]". Journal Des Maladies Vasculaires (in French). 31 (1): 10–5. PMID 16609626. doi:10.1016/S0398-0499(06)76512-X.
  10. Gayraud M (January 2007). "Raynaud's phenomenon". Joint, Bone, Spine. 74 (1): e1–8. PMID 17218139. doi:10.1016/j.jbspin.2006.07.002.
  11. Goldman W, Seltzer R, Reuman P (2008). "Association between treatment with central nervous system stimulants and Raynaud's syndrome in children: A retrospective case–control study of rheumatology patients". Arthritis & Rheumatism. 58 (2): 563–566. doi:10.1002/art.23301.
  12. "Raynaud's disease Treatments and drugs - Mayo Clinic". www.mayoclinic.org. Retrieved 13 December 2015.
  13. Berlin AL, Pehr K (March 2004). "Coexistence of erythromelalgia and Raynaud's phenomenon". Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology. 50 (3): 456–60. PMID 14988692. doi:10.1016/S0190-9622(03)02121-2.
  14. Priollet P (October 1998). "[Raynaud's phenomena: diagnostic and treatment study]". La Revue du praticien (in French). 48 (15): 1659–64. PMID 9814067.
  15. Anderson ME, Moore TL, Lunt M, Herrick AL (March 2007). "The 'distal-dorsal difference': a thermographic parameter by which to differentiate between primary and secondary Raynaud's phenomenon". Rheumatology. 46 (3): 533–8. PMID 17018538. doi:10.1093/rheumatology/kel330.
  16. Brennan P, Silman A, Black C (May 1993). "Validity and reliability of three methods used in the diagnosis of Raynaud's phenomenon. The UK Scleroderma Study Group". British Journal of Rheumatology. 32 (5): 357–361. PMID 8495253. doi:10.1093/rheumatology/32.5.357.
  17. Wigley FM (September 2002). "Clinical Practice.Raynaud's phenomenon". New England Journal of Medicine. 347 (13): 1001–1008. PMID 12324557. doi:10.1056/nejmcp013013.
  18. LeRoy EC, Medsger TA (September–October 1992). "Raynaud's phenomenon: a proposal for classification". Clinical and Experimental Rheumatology. 10 (5): 485–488. PMID 1458701.
  19. Maricq HR, Weinrich MC (March 1998). "Diagnosis of Raynaud's phenomenon assisted by color charts". Journal of Rheumatology. 15 (3): 454–459. PMID 3379622.
  20. 1 2 Maverakis E, Patel F, Kronenberg D (2014). "International consensus criteria for the diagnosis of Raynaud's phenomenon". Journal of Autoimmunity. 48–49: 60–5. PMC 4018202Freely accessible. PMID 24491823. doi:10.1016/j.jaut.2014.01.020.
  21. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Mikuls, Ted R; Canella, Amy C; Moore, Gerald F; Erickson, Alan R; Thiele, Geoffery M; O'Dell, James R (2013). "Connective Tissue Diseases". Rheumatology. London: Manson Publishing. p. 117. ISBN 978-1-84076-173-3.
  22. Smith CR, Rodeheffer RJ (January 1985). "Raynaud's phenomenon: pathophysiologic features and treatment with calcium-channel blockers". The American Journal of Cardiology. 55 (3): 154B–157B. PMID 3881908. doi:10.1016/0002-9149(85)90625-3.
  23. Ennis, Holly; Hughes, Michael; Anderson, Marina E.; Wilkinson, Jack; Herrick, Ariane L. (25 February 2016). "Calcium channel blockers for primary Raynaud's phenomenon". The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. 2: CD002069. ISSN 1469-493X. PMID 26914257. doi:10.1002/14651858.CD002069.pub5.
  24. Pancera P, Sansone S, Secchi S, Covi G, Lechi A (November 1997). "The effects of thromboxane A2 inhibition (picotamide) and angiotensin II receptor blockade (losartan) in primary Raynaud's phenomenon". Journal of Internal Medicine. 242 (5): 373–6. PMID 9408065. doi:10.1046/j.1365-2796.1997.00219.x.
  25. Dziadzio M, Denton CP, Smith R, et al. (December 1999). "Losartan therapy for Raynaud's phenomenon and scleroderma: clinical and biochemical findings in a fifteen-week, randomized, parallel-group, controlled trial". Arthritis and Rheumatism. Elsevier Saunergic blockers such as prazosin can be used to control Raynaud's vasospasms under supervision of a health care provider. 42 (12): 2646–55. PMID 10616013. doi:10.1002/1529-0131(199912)42:12<2646::AID-ANR21>3.0.CO;2-T.
  26. Waldo R (March 1979). "Prazosin relieves Raynaud's vasospasm". JAMA. 241 (10): 1037. PMID 762741. doi:10.1001/jama.241.10.1037.
  27. Wang WH, Lai CS, Chang KP, et al. (October 2006). "Peripheral sympathectomy for Raynaud's phenomenon: a salvage procedure". The Kaohsiung Journal of Medical Sciences. 22 (10): 491–9. PMID 17098681. doi:10.1016/S1607-551X(09)70343-2.
  28. Neumeister MW, Chambers CB, Herron MS, et al. (July 2009). "Botox therapy for ischemic digits". Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery. 124 (1): 191–201. PMID 19568080. doi:10.1097/PRS.0b013e3181a80576.
  29. Van Beek AL, Lim PK, Gear AJ, Pritzker MR (January 2007). "Management of vasospastic disorders with botulinum toxin A". Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery. 119 (1): 217–26. PMID 17255677. doi:10.1097/01.prs.0000244860.00674.57.
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