What is Raynauds syndrome?

This is a condition in which the smallest arteries that bring blood to the fingers or toes constrict (go into spasm) when exposed to cold or from an emotional upset. The small veins are usually open, so the blood drains out of the capillaries; the result is that the fingers or toes become pale, cold and numb. If there's a spasm in the small veins and blood is trapped in the capillaries, the fingers or toes turn blue as the blood loses its oxygen.

Symptoms

The symptoms of Raynaud's Syndrome depends on the frequency, duration and severity of the blood vessel spasms that underlie the disorder.

Cold fingers and toes

Sequence of color changes in your skin in response to cold or stress

Numb, prickly feeling or stinging pain upon warming or relief of stress

During an attack of Raynauds, affected areas of your skin usually turn white at first. Then, the affected areas often turn blue,
feel cold and numb, and your sensory perception is dulled. As circulation improves, the affected areas may turn red, throb,
tingle or swell. The order of the changes of color isn't the same for all people, and not everyone experiences all three colors.

Occasionally, an attack affects just one or two fingers or toes. Attacks don't necessarily always affect the same digits. Although Raynauds most commonly affects your fingers and toes, the condition can also affect other areas of your body, such as your nose, lips, ears and even nipples. An attack may last less than a minute to several hours.

Causes

Doctors don't completely understand the cause of Raynauds attacks, but blood vessels in the hands and feet appear to overreact to cold temperatures or stress:

Cold temperatures. When your body is exposed to cold temperatures, the extremities lose heat. The body slows down blood supply to the fingers and toes to preserve the body's core temperature. The body specifically reduces blood flow by narrowing the small arteries under the skin of the extremities.

Stress. Stress causes a similar reaction to cold in the body, and likewise the bodys response may be exaggerated in people with Raynauds.

Blood vessels in spasm. Arteries to your fingers and toes go into what's called vasospasm. This narrows your vessels dramatically and temporarily limits blood supply. Over time, these same small arteries may also thicken slightly, further limiting blood flow. The result is that affected skin turns a pale and dusky color due to the lack of blood flow to the area. Once the spasms go away and blood returns to the area, the tissue may turn red before returning to a normal color.

Raynauds Syndrome may be partly an inherited disorder.

Smoking cigarettes or working with vibrating machinery also can cause these episodes.

Western medicine treatment

The treatments to dilate blood vessels and promote circulation include:

Calcium channel blockers. These drugs relax and open up small blood vessels in your hands and feet.

Alpha blockers. Some people find relief with drugs called alpha blockers, which counteract the actions of norepinephrine, a hormone that constricts blood vessels.

Vasodilators, a drug that relaxes blood vessels

Nerve surgery.

Chemical injections.

Amputation