Triggered by the cold, those with Raynaud\u2019s syndrome can endure excruciating pain and numbness in their hands and feet. Here, Scleroderma & Raynaud’s UK explain the condition and how to manage it. <\/p>
When it gets cold, people with Raynaud’s syndrome can suffer a loss of blood flow and agonising knife-stabbing pain in their extremities. The charity Scleroderma and Raynaud’s UK (SRUK)<\/a> explain the condition and the best ways of managing it when the cold weather bites.<\/p> Raynaud’s, also known as Raynaud’s Phenomenon, is a condition that affects\u00a0blood flow to parts of the body such as hands, feet, ears, nose and even nipples. When you live with Raynaud’s, cold temperatures and stress can trigger painful ‘attacks’ where small blood vessels in the body’s extremities \u2013 such as hands, feet, ears or nose – constrict, reducing the flow of blood. <\/p> This can cause the skin of the affected area to change colour to white, and then blue, and to become numb. Eventually, as the blood circulation returns, the skin changes colour again to red and it can be extremely painful.<\/p> Many people living with the condition will regularly experience pain and discomfort during a Raynaud\u2019s attack, making some everyday activities such as buttoning up a shirt, opening a bottle or handling keys almost impossible. People have told us how the pain they feel during a Raynaud\u2019s attack feels as if someone has taken a hammer to their hands \u2013 it hurts that much.\u00a0Around three million people with the condition will experience painful Raynaud\u2019s attacks all year round.<\/p> There are two types of Raynaud’s: primary and secondary. Most people will develop primary Raynaud’s, which is when the condition is not linked to another, more serious health condition. For those diagnosed with secondary Raynaud’s, this means it is caused by an underlying condition, such as the autoimmune condition, scleroderma.\u00a0This is one of the reasons why it\u2019s so important to recognise the signs of Raynaud\u2019s and visit your GP.<\/p> There are about 10 million people in the UK living with Raynaud’s. It equates to one in six people, which makes it as common as hay fever. Women are more likely to develop Raynaud’s than men, although it can occur in anyone and at any age.<\/p> We don\u2019t know for certain what causes Raynaud\u2019s, although researchers have recently identified two genes that can increase the risk of developing the condition. This not only adds to our\u00a0understanding of the condition but will hopefully lead to more effective treatments for people with the condition.\u00a0You can read more about this, including our comment on the research, here<\/a>.<\/p> The most common signs of Raynaud\u2019s are:\u00a0<\/p> SRUK encourages anyone who thinks they might have Raynaud’s to take their online test at sruk.co.uk\/testme<\/a>\u00a0in the first instance. It gives people more information about the condition and how to manage it and advises\u00a0if a GP visit is required.<\/p> Your doctor may look at your fingers and toes to check the health of your skin and nails, and blood flow to these areas. There are also some tests that can be performed to check if you have Raynaud\u2019s.\u00a0<\/p> There is currently no cure for Raynaud’s, but there are some treatments that can help prevent painful Raynaud’s attacks. Unfortunately, these are limited and will not be suitable for everyone.<\/p> However, there are some other things that people with the condition can do to try to minimise the possibility of Raynaud\u2019s attacks. <\/p> Keeping your body warm, for instance, is one of the best ways to manage the condition and prevent painful attacks, so having\u00a0your home at a warm, consistent temperature is crucial for people living with this condition. Other things include:<\/p> Many people in our community walk to help reduce stress, which can trigger a\u00a0Raynaud\u2019s attack.\u00a0However, they also need to protect themselves from the\u00a0cold. Here\u00a0are some\u00a0of their tried and tested top\u00a0tips:\u00a0<\/p> Images: Getty Images<\/p> <\/body><\/html>\n Triggered by the cold, those with Raynaud\u2019s syndrome can endure excruciating pain and numbness in their hands and feet. Here, Scleroderma & Raynaud’s UK explain the condition and how to manage it. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":32937,"template":"","categories":[1],"acf":{"readingTimeMinutes":"5"},"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/45\/2023\/12\/raynauds-syndrome-what-it-is-what-causes-it-and-how-to-manage-raynauds-when-the-cold-weather-arrives.jpg",2120,1414,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/45\/2023\/12\/raynauds-syndrome-what-it-is-what-causes-it-and-how-to-manage-raynauds-when-the-cold-weather-arrives-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/45\/2023\/12\/raynauds-syndrome-what-it-is-what-causes-it-and-how-to-manage-raynauds-when-the-cold-weather-arrives-300x200.jpg",300,200,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/45\/2023\/12\/raynauds-syndrome-what-it-is-what-causes-it-and-how-to-manage-raynauds-when-the-cold-weather-arrives-768x512.jpg",768,512,true],"large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/45\/2023\/12\/raynauds-syndrome-what-it-is-what-causes-it-and-how-to-manage-raynauds-when-the-cold-weather-arrives-1024x683.jpg",800,534,true],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/45\/2023\/12\/raynauds-syndrome-what-it-is-what-causes-it-and-how-to-manage-raynauds-when-the-cold-weather-arrives-1536x1024.jpg",1536,1024,true],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/45\/2023\/12\/raynauds-syndrome-what-it-is-what-causes-it-and-how-to-manage-raynauds-when-the-cold-weather-arrives-2048x1366.jpg",2048,1366,true]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"importmanagerhub@sprylab.com","author_link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbccountryfile\/author\/importmanagerhubsprylab-com\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"Triggered by the cold, those with Raynaud\u2019s syndrome can endure excruciating pain and numbness in their hands and feet. Here, Scleroderma & Raynaud's UK explain the condition and how to manage it.","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbccountryfile\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rss_feed\/32936"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbccountryfile\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rss_feed"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbccountryfile\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/rss_feed"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbccountryfile\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/24"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbccountryfile\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/32937"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbccountryfile\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=32936"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbccountryfile\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=32936"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}What is Raynaud’s syndrome?<\/strong><\/h2>
How common is Raynaud’s syndrome?<\/strong><\/h2>
What causes Raynaud’s syndrome?<\/strong><\/h2>
What are the symptoms of Raynaud’s syndrome<\/strong>?<\/strong><\/h2>
How is Raynaud’s syndrome<\/strong><\/strong> diagnosed?<\/strong><\/h2>
Are there any treatments available for Raynaud’s syndrome<\/strong>?<\/strong><\/h2>
How can you manage Raynaud’s<\/strong> syndrome<\/strong>?<\/h2>
How to keep warm when out\u00a0walking<\/strong><\/h2>
","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"