Think you get cold fingers in the winter? Spare a thought for this woman: Spanish patient's hands turn purple and white when exposed to cold.

ADS

A Spanish woman has such severe problems with the blood supply to her fingers that her hands turn purple, and her fingers white, when they are exposed to the cold.
The 45-year-old, who has not been named, has severe Raynaud’s phenomenon.
The condition occurs when the blood vessels in the hands and fingers go into a temporary spasm blocking the flow of blood.

A Spanish woman has such severe problems with the blood supply to her fingers that her hands turn purple, and her fingers white, when they are exposed to the cold

The spasms are usually triggered by exposure to the cold and causes the fingers to go numb.
When the patient’s hands warm up again, and blood returns to the fingers, they can become very painful.
Patients sometimes also experience pins and needles in the affected parts of their body.

 

The condition is not a serious threat to a person’s health but it can be difficult to live with if it means the fingers become stiff and numb every time they get cold.
The severe case of the Spanish patient was reported in The New England Journal of Medicine.
Dr Marina Anderson, senior lecturer in rheumatology at the University of Liverpool, told MailOnline: ‘This is a very severe case. Raynaud’s is a very common disorder but most patients will not have it so severely.’

Raynaud's phenomenon occurs when the blood vessels in the hands and fingers go into a temporary spasm blocking the flow of blood. Image shows red blood cells in a capillary

She added: ‘A tiny proportion of people with Raynaud’s with have it this severely.’
She explained that it can be problematic when people are trying to take food from a cold fridge or if they are trying to find things in a bag when they are outside on a cold day.
She told MailOnline that the Spanish patient was probably developing systemic sclerosis – a relatively rare autoimmune disorder associated with abnormalities in the capillaries.
Dr Anderson said: ‘It is very strongly associated with Raynaud’s so if someone presents with new Raynaud’s this needs to be considered.
‘It can affect the gut, the lungs, kidneys and the heart. It’s important to recognise it might be happening so we can prevent damage to internal organs through careful management.’
Systemic sclerosis causes hard, thickened areas of skin and sometimes problems with the internal organs and blood vessels.
It is an autoimmune condition in which the body attacks its own tissues, including the connective tissue under the skin and surrounding the organs and blood vessels.
It causes hardening of the skin but can also cause problems with the gut, such as heartburn, and joint stiffness, hair loss, weight loss and fatigue.
If it also affects the heart, lungs or kidneys it can cause shortness of breath and high blood pressure.
Elizabeth Bevins, CEO of the Raynaud’s and Scleroderma Association told MailOnline: ‘Scleroderma is a rare condition, in the UK it's estimated that around 6,000 suffer from scleroderma in one of its forms. 
‘There is no cure but improved knowledge over the last few years means it can now be better managed.’

ADS

Share this article :

Share on FB Tweet Share on G+ Submit to Digg