Do you wear gloves? I do not go out without them on frosty days such as today. Sometimes, however, exposing your hands to a cold temperature can say a lot about our health!
I'm pulling off gloves and what's next?
In even 3% of the population there is then a triad of the following symptoms:
Skin turns pale.
Usually applies to all fingers.
Bruising.
Painful accumulation of deoxygenated blood in previously pale fingers.
Congestion.
After heating, redness of the fingers and slight swelling occurs. The patient usually feels overheating and burning his fingers.
The easiest way to remember this order is to remember the flag of Russia :)
Raynaud's syndrome is the effect of contraction of the arteries that supply blood to the fingers or other parts of the body exposed to cold temperature, for example, the earlobes. In some patients, this symptom occurs not due to cold air but in stressful situations.
Why is it important at all?
Two situations need to be differentiated as Raynaud's symptom can be:
Primary - that is, some just have it :) It accounts for 80% of diagnoses and its exact cause is not known, in this case it is recommended mainly avoiding exposure to cold air and wearing gloves. It can be recognized only after excluding secondary causes.
Secondary - usually with a heavier course, therefore, in addition to protecting against cold, treatment with calcium channel blockers should be implemented. It occurs on the basis of many diseases.
Why is it important at all?
Well Raynaud's symptom is simple to investigate but can often be overlooked by patients despite the fact that the secondary Raynaud's symptom can occur many years before the onset of the disease and herald its course.
Raynaud's secondary symptom accompanies diseases such as:
Connective tissue diseases (lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, scleroderma)
Vessel disease (giant cell angiitis, polyarteritis nodosa)
Cancer (leukemia, plasmocytoma)
Viral infections (hepatitis B and C, cytomegalovirus)
... and many more, these are the main groups of diseases that can occur with the Raynaud's symptom.
If you notice these symptoms in yourself, it is especially important in men because they rarely have the primary Raynaud's symptom, and also in the case of a sudden appearance of a symptom at a later age.
That's it for today :) Thank you for reading and I encourage you to comment.
Pictures come from:
wikipedia.com
pixabay.com