Raynaud’s syndrome

Raynaud’s Syndrome is a sudden reduction in blood flow in individual fingers or toes, or even entire hands or feet. Here it comes, mostly triggered by cold or psychological stress, to paleness and pain in the affected extremity. The white coloration is typically followed by a blue coloration called cyanosis with subsequent reactive re-circulation, i.e. red coloration.

In most cases, no cause for the circulatory disturbance can be identified, but occasionally various diseases of the blood-forming system such as leukemia or autoimmune diseases such as systemic scleroderma trigger Raynaud’s syndrome. A cause requiring treatment should be clarified by a physician.If this cannot be determined even after thorough examination, those affected can reduce the occurrence of the circulatory disorder by avoiding the triggering factors. In the area of the feet, for example, heatable soles of the feet can be used.

Peripheral arterial occlusive disease (pAVK)

Peripheral arterial occlusive disease (PAD) is a chronic blood loss in the extremities, which mostly occurs in the legs. In about 85% of cases, the cause is arteriosclerosis (hardening of the arteries), which in turn is promoted by risk factors such as smoking, obesity, diabetes mellitus and high blood pressure. In more than 90% of cases, the lower extremities are affected.

In about half of the cases, the narrowing of the arteries occurs in the area of the femoral arteries, but can also be found in the pelvic arteries or in the lower leg. The symptomatology occurs in the direction of blood flow behind the narrowing of the artery. In the case of arteriosclerosis in an artery of the lower leg, the symptoms are therefore to be expected in the foot.

Typical for pAVK is pain under stress. This pain typically occurs after a walking distance of less than 200m, depending on the progress of the disease. As a rule, the complaints improve if walking breaks are observed. It is also known as “shop window sickness”, because the affected persons linger at shop windows during their walking breaks. With a pronounced clinical picture, poorly healing wounds and even tissue decay (necrosis) on the foot or leg can occur.