Take the Raynaud’s Quiz
Raynaud's disease or phenomenon is a disorder that affects a person’s blood vessels in the fingers, and sometimes the toes. Learn more about this disorder by taking this quiz.
1. If you have Raynaud's phenomenon, you will know it because
your skin changes color when you are exposed to cold.
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The main symptoms of
Raynaud's are a change in skin color and a change in skin temperature. Skin color
changes from white to blue to red. Skin temperature is cooler in the affected areas.
It's common for the affected areas to feel numb or prickly, cold, or painful.
2. For people with Raynaud's phenomenon, their fingers and toes
turn white because of a lack of iron.
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The change in color
has to do with blood flow. The small blood vessels in the fingers and toes that feed
the
skin contract in cold. This limits the amount of blood that flows. Without blood,
the
skin first turns white then blue. The skin returns to its normal color as blood flows
again. Extremities—hands and feet—are most commonly affected. But Raynaud's can attack
other areas such as the nose and ears.
3. One cause of Raynaud's phenomenon is an abnormal reaction
to cold temperatures.
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The most common
cause of Raynaud's phenomenon is an overreaction to cold temperatures, but it may
be
triggered by other causes. These include medicines that affect blood pressure or make
blood vessels narrow or certain emotions
4. Stress can also trigger an attack of Raynaud's
phenomenon.
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Cold temperatures
are more likely to bring on an attack if you are physically or emotionally stressed.
For
some people, exposure to cold isn't even necessary. Stress alone causes blood vessels
to
narrow.
5. Raynaud's phenomenon affects mostly women older than 50.
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Women ages 15 to 30
are most likely to have Raynaud's, although anyone can develop the condition.
6. Raynaud's occurs only if you have other health
conditions.
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Raynaud's may occur
on its own. This is called primary Raynaud's and is the more common form. The other
form
happens along with another health condition. These include arthritis, scleroderma,
nerve
problems, and pulmonary hypertension.
7. People with Raynaud's should not go outdoors in cold
weather.
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They can go outdoors
if they wear the correct clothing. They should wear scarves, warm socks, boots, and
mittens or gloves.
8. People with Raynaud's should wear mittens when removing items
from the refrigerator or freezer.
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Reaching into a
refrigerator may trigger an attack. You can also use oven mitts or potholders for
cold
items.
9. It's possible to prevent attacks by learning biofeedback
techniques.
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After several
sessions of training, people can often prevent or stop attacks using biofeedback.
With
this technique, you are taught to "think" your fingers or toes warm.
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