Symptoms

A typical symptom complex in a circulatory disorder of the fingers is the so-called Raynaud’s syndrome. In this syndrome, cold, stress or wetness causes small vessels to cramp, resulting in a circulatory disorder that manifests itself primarily in the fingers. The thumb and palm are usually not affected.

The fingers first become cold and pale or white. Then they turn blue due to the lack of oxygen. If there is a lack of oxygen, metabolic catabolism products accumulate, which presumably causes the vascular spasm to loosen again and the fingers are supplied with blood again, followed by a red coloration.

In the short term, there is excessive blood circulation, which causes the fingers to remain red for a while and sometimes itching, throbbing or burning in the fingers. This color sequence is also called the tricolor phenomenon. Sometimes the symptomatology is accompanied by a tingling and numbness feeling and pain.

It is typical that both hands are symmetrically affected by Raynaud’s syndrome. Also characteristic is the seizure-like nature of the symptom complex. Raynaud’s syndrome can occur without a recognizable cause, in which case it is called primary Raynaud’s syndrome.

If it occurs in the context of an underlying disease such as autoimmune diseases or collagenoses, which are among the inflammatory rheumatic diseases, it is a secondary Raynaud’s syndrome. Drugs can also trigger Raynaud’s syndrome. Women are affected by this phenomenon four times more frequently than men.

Circulatory problems are often caused by cold hands, which is probably known to many women. These cold hands are often caused by too low blood pressure. A heart failure can also be the trigger for cold hands.

Blue fingers can be a sign that the fingers are no longer sufficiently supplied with blood. It is assumed that there is still enough blood reaching the fingers to supply them with nutrients. However, the blood is no longer strongly saturated with oxygen, which is why it loses its bright red color and appears rather dark.

If this dark blood flows through the vessels of the fingers, the fingers may appear blue and no longer rosy. The cause of blue fingers can be either oxygen or blood circulation. For example, a lung disease can be present that prevents the body from absorbing enough oxygen from the air.

As a result, only blood low in oxygen can get into the fingers and the fingers turn blue.Blood diseases, which cause a reduced capacity of the blood to absorb oxygen, can also be the cause of blue fingers. Often, however, the problem lies in the blood circulation in the fingers. Blood still reaches the outermost fingertips, but it is such a small amount that there is not much oxygen left in the blood.

A simple reason for this can be cold. This causes the blood vessels to become narrow, especially in the fingers and toes. In this way the body reduces its heat loss, but the fingers turn blue.

Circulatory disorders caused by calcification of vessels or blood clots, for example, can also cause blue fingers. White fingers are usually due to a circulatory disorder. The color white indicates that no (or hardly any) blood reaches the fingers.

The causes for this can lie directly with the fingers, if for example by a rheumatic illness the smallest vessels in the fingers are destroyed. But a more central cause can also be the reason for the circulatory disorder. If, for example, a blood clot has settled in an artery in the arm, blood can no longer flow through it.

The tissue behind it is no longer supplied with blood. Calcium deposits, such as those caused by arteriosclerosis, can also disrupt the blood flow in the arms, hands and fingers, causing white fingers. The cause of numb fingers can be blood circulation as well as innervation (supply of nerves).

For example, if the nerve fibers are damaged by an accident, injury or by diseases such as diabetes (blood sugar disease), the fingers can be numb. In the case of circulatory disorders in the fingers, a distinction must be made between permanent and temporary numbness of the fingers. If the fingers are temporarily numb, the problem is usually an acute circulatory disorder.

This often occurs, for example, in cold weather or stress. The so-called sympathetic nervous system, a part of our nervous system, is activated. This leads to a constriction (narrowing) of the blood vessels.

In this way, the body wants to prevent excessive heat loss from the fingers. However, due to faulty regulation, the fingers may be practically no longer supplied with blood at all. Due to the lack of nutrients, temporary numbness in the fingers can occur.

However, if persistent circulatory problems are the cause of the numbness, the fingers are usually also permanently numb or have at least partial loss of sensation. If a blood clot or calcification has settled in the vessels that supply the hand and fingers with blood, too few nutrients arrive there permanently. This can damage the nerve fibers, among other things, so that they can no longer send signals to the brain and the fingers therefore feel numb.

Swollen fingers are due to a circulatory disorder with causes in the veins. Since the supplying vessels, i.e. the arteries, function normally, sufficient blood reaches the fingers. However, it cannot be transported back to the heart in sufficient quantity via the draining vessels (veins).

So a certain amount of fluid remains in the tissue of the fingers and is deposited there. Some of this fluid is also transported back to the heart via the lymphatic system. However, if these lymph vessels are overloaded or broken, the fluid remains in the fingers.

The circulatory disorder of the fingertips occurs mainly in cold weather and is often a sign of Raynaud’s syndrome. In this case the small muscles that regulate the width of the vessels are incorrectly activated. If the vessels are now to be narrowed, the muscles overreact and close the vessels completely.

Since the misregulation usually only affects the smallest blood vessels, not all fingers and not all phalanges are affected. Rather, only the middle and final phalanx or only the final phalanx of the fingers are discolored due to the circulatory disorder. The fingers become either white or blue, and numbness and pain in the fingers can also occur.

When it is cold, many people’s fingers and toes first become cold, and later their hands and feet as well. Especially in winter this is a normal phenomenon, which is due to a protective function of the body. In order not to lose too much heat on the surface of the hands and feet, they are no longer supplied with blood so strongly.

This allows the body to reduce its heat loss and concentrate on keeping the vital organs warm. This function of the body is particularly noticeable in the case of circulatory disorders, since instead of a low blood supply to the fingers, virtually no blood flow can be maintained at all.Therefore, the fingers then often discolor quickly white or blue in the cold. With the toes the regulation of the blood circulation runs exactly like with the fingers.

Therefore the blood circulation of the toes can be minimized fast for example with cold weather or stress. Due to additional circulatory disorders, blood no longer reaches the toes, which turn white and/or blue. Circulatory disorders in the toes are particularly often due to arteriosclerotic changes in the vessels in the legs.

This leads to calcification, which makes the vessel narrower and thus allows less blood to pass through. Another reason for circulatory disorders in the toes can be the blood sugar disease diabetes. This destroys blood vessels, which makes it difficult for the toes to circulate blood.