Synonyms in a broader sense
English
- Raynaud phenomenon
- Raynaud’s disease
- Vasomotor acroasphyxia
- Acral ischemic syndrome
- Vasospastic syndrome
- Ischemia syndrome
- Raynaud ́s syndrome
- Raynaud ́s disease
- Secondary Raynaud ́s disease
Definition Raynaud – Syndrome
Raynaud’s phenomenon Raynaud’s syndrome belongs to the functional circulatory disorders. It is understood as a narrowing of the vessels (vasospasm) of the acres. Acras include the nose, chin, ears, lips, tongue, fingers and feet. This constriction can be caused by cold or stress and can be released under the influence of heat and medication.
Introduction
Raynaud’s syndrome or also called “white finger disease” is a disorder that is associated with a reduced blood supply to the fingers and toes and which mainly affects women of childbearing age. A typical symptom of Raynaud’s syndrome is the “tricolor phenomenon”, in which the fingers suddenly become pale and crampy due to cold or stress, followed by a bluish discoloration (cyanosis) and after some time, when the blood circulation restarts, the fingers turn red. The most important cause of this disease is vascular spasms, which are either primary (without a precise cause) or secondary due to special medication, disease or trauma, e.g. due to the long-term use of vibrating tools.
Recent American studies have shown that Raynaud’s syndrome can also be a reaction to elevated estrogen levels. In some cases, vasospasms can also affect the nipples of women, which causes severe pain, especially when breastfeeding. The term “Raynaud’s” goes back to the first describer of this disease. In 1862, the French physician Maurice Raynaud described for the first time a circulatory disorder of the fingers caused by cold, which is characterized by its onset in phases.
Frequency (Epidemiology)
Occurrence in the population The Raynaud’s syndrome occurs in about 4 – 17% of the population and is therefore a very common but partly still unknown syndrome. A hereditary component seems to exist. The primary Raynaud’s syndrome affects women about twice as often as men. It usually occurs during puberty and does not improve until the menopause (menopause). Secondary Raynaud’s syndrome occurs regardless of age and depends on the underlying disease.
