Yates 1

Megan Yates

James Dunham

ENG 1201

6 July 2019

Raynaud’s Phenomenon and Its Causes

When it is cold out, do your fingers and toes suddenly lose blood flow? No? Well you are

one of the lucky ones. Raynaud’s Phenomenon is a type of syndrome where your blood vessels

shrivel up and lose circulation when exposed to the cold. Although people believe that

Raynaud’s Phenomenon is harmless and is only caused from the cold, it can actually be caused

by gender, genetics, personal habits, age, and it can also be an indicator for more serious

underlying health problems.

Now, what exactly is Raynaud’s Phenomenon? Raynaud’s Phenomenon, also known as

Raynaud’s Syndrome or Raynaud’s Disease, was first described in 1862 by a lady named A.G.

Maurice Raynaud. She described it

as, “…a condition which affects the

small arteries supplying blood to the

skin.” (Betton) A person who

suffers from Raynaud’s arteries are

much more sensitive to things such

as the cold and constrict much more An example of what a flare up of Raynaud’s Phenomenon looks like.

than a normal person, allowing very little blood flow to reach places such as the fingertips or the
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end of one’s toes. This can be very painful, and many describe it as a feeling of, “…pins and

needles…” (Betton) when the affected areas begin to heat back up. Numbness is also a common

feeling from the process. Also, there are two types of Raynaud’s phenomenon—primary and

secondary. Primary Raynaud’s Phenomenon is the more common type which is the one that does

not come from any underlying health problems. This is the one that is typically just caused from

the cold or something not serious such as gender or age. Secondary Raynaud’s Phenomenon, on

the other hand, is the much more serious form as it does come from an underlying health

problem that is much more serious.

Now that Raynaud’s Phenomenon has been explained, what actually causes individuals

to get Raynaud’s Phenomenon? Many believe that it is from the cold, but the cold is really just a

trigger for it. Many different things can be the cause of both primary and secondary Raynaud’s

phenomenon. First though, age and gender will be discussed. Females are much more likely to

be affected by this phenomenon than men. In fact, it is estimated that they are, “…nine times

more likely to be affected than males.” (Newman) Now, it is unknown why females are so much

more likely to experience Raynaud’s Phenomenon than males, but it is thought to have

something to do with female hormones and the menstrual cycle. As stated in a book titled

Rheumatology, “Raynaud’s phenomenon is much more common in women than in men and it is

likely that hormonal factors are important, especially as variations in blood flow with the

menstrual cycle have been described…” (Herrick) Along with affecting women more, it also

tends to be seen more in individuals who are about 15-50 years old, depending on the type. As
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mentioned in a video produced by Brigham and Woman’s Hospital, primary Raynaud’s

Phenomenon is typically seen in adolescents, remember this form being basically just an

uncomfortable process, and secondary Raynaud’s Phenomenon is typically seen in older

individuals, remember this form being an indicator for another underlying health problem. Being

a female and one’s age can be a great determinant on whether one will get Raynaud’s. One

article even says that, “Raynaud’s is much more prevalent in women, affecting up to 22% in the

21–50 year age group.” (Betton) So, nearly a quarter of all females in the appropriate age range

are affected by this phenomenon.

Along with age and gender, some more factors that can go into being diagnosed with

Raynaud’s Phenomenon is one’s personal habits, needs, or wants. This may sound confusing,

but what is meant by personal habits, needs, or wants are things such as certain medications or

smoking. First, lets discuss medications, or our needs, and their relation to Raynaud’s

Phenomenon. As mentioned in one article, “Drugs that can induce Raynaud’s include beta

blockers, migraine medications containing ergotamine or sumatriptan, ADHD medications,

some chemotherapy drugs, and some over-the-counter cold remedies.” (Newman) Most of these

medications seem to be blood thinners, which makes sense as to why they would be a cause

Raynaud’s Phenomenon as it is a phenomenon directly relating to blood flow and blood vessels.

Now onto smoking and its relation to Raynaud’s Phenomenon, better known as our personal

habits or wants. Now, smoking has some unique qualities when it comes to its relation to
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Raynaud’s Phenomenon. In the book mentioned before, Rheumatology, it is stated that,

“…smoking is associated with the severity of Raynaud’s (especially in those with underlying

vascular disease) rather than susceptibility.” (Herrick) So unlike the long list of medications, and

caffeine, stress, and anxiety, (discussed later) smoking can just make the effects of Raynaud’s to

come off as stronger or more severe. This negative health benefit just adds to the list of the

harmful things that smoking can cause to your body.

Smoking and taking medications one may need are example of causes that can cause

primary Raynaud’s Phenomenon. Secondary Raynaud’s Phenomenon is a different story. As

mentioned, many times before, secondary Raynaud’s Phenomenon is caused by something that

happened that may have damaged one’s blood vessels or could be an indicator for a more serious

underlying health problem. As mentioned in a video put together by the Brigham and Women’s

Hospital, “People with secondary Raynaud’s Phenomenon can have a known injury such as

frostbite or they can be jackhammer operators or some other reason they’ve damaged the blood

vessels to their fingers. There are also people who have rheumatologic diseases that impact

blood vessels...” (Brighams) Seen pretty clearly, secondary Raynaud’s Phenomenon is much

more serious than primary, and is caused by much harsher things. This particular type of

Raynaud’s Phenomenon can be the warning sign of a major health problem that has the potential

to be life or death.

Now that the causes for both primary and secondary Raynaud’s Phenomenon are laid out

and have been explained, lets discuss the difference between causes for Raynaud’s Phenomenon
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and triggers for Raynaud’s Phenomenon. Causes are the things that actually cause an individual

to be diagnosed or suffer from Raynaud’s Phenomenon whereas triggers are the things that make

Raynaud’s Phenomenon actually flare up and cause the whole process to begin. Triggers for

Raynaud’s Phenomenon can be many different things, the main one being the cold. Now, most

people get the idea that Raynaud’s Phenomenon is caused by the cold rather than triggered by it.

Raynaud’s Phenomenon can also be triggered by things such as feelings of anxiety or feelings of

stress. One article states that, “It can be triggered by reaching into the freezer, a cold breeze or

by feelings of anxiety. (Betton) This quote reinforces the idea that cold does in fact trigger the

effects of Raynaud’s Phenomenon, even in the smallest amounts and shows that anxiety is a

trigger as well. A whole list of triggers is mentioned in a video put together by Akron Children’s

Hospital, one being stress. The others include stimulants, caffeine being the most common,

exercise, medications, laughter, and of course, temperature changes. Raynaud’s Phenomenon

can be a painful thing triggered by a multitude of things. Some try to minimize their Raynaud’s

flare ups by doing things such as, “…keeping warm by wearing thermal clothes (particularly

gloves and socks), giving up smoking, cutting down on caffeine and avoiding the cold and cold

objects.” (Betton) Raynaud’s Phenomenon is caused and triggered by different things, the causes

are seemingly inevitable whereas the triggers can be prevented if an individual puts time and

effort into preventing them.

Now, through-out the whole paper underlying health problems have been discussed.

Remember, all these underlying health problems come from only secondary Raynaud’s
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Phenomenon which can be described as a process in which, “The vasospasm of small vessels in

this syndrome is more frequent, asymmetric, very painful and strong enough to cause trophic

lesions in distal parts of the body due to the lack of sufficient oxygenation of the tissues.”

(Waleka) So, how severe can these underlying health problems really be? Well, they can be as

simple as some frost bite that has messed up your blood vessels, but they can indeed be much

more than that. One article states, “Disorders, most often heralded by RP are: systemic sclerosis

(SSc), mixed connective tissue disease (MCTD), systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE),

dermatomyositis (DM), Sjögren syndrome (SS) and rheumatic arthritis.” (Waleka) These health

problems or diseases can be very painful, serious, and even life threatening. Even more are listed

in another article, including carpal tunnel syndrome. (Newman) The same article also states that

some patients experience physical changes, “Patients very often suffer from small erosions,

ulcers and even necrosis of the fingers in rare cases.” (Waleka) Secondary Raynaud’s

Phenomenon can be an indicator for a remarkable amount of different diseases or health

problems and can also lead to some as well. Secondary Raynaud’s Phenomenon is much more

serious than primary, but it is hard to differentiate between the two by just looking at the

symptoms when the process is taking place. The Raynaud’s Phenomenon that one experiences

may be much more serious than one believes which is why everyone who does experience

Raynaud’s Phenomenon should be examined by a doctor. This little phenomenon could be the

indicator for something much bigger.

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Currently, there is no cure for either Raynaud’s Phenomenon, but there are many ways to

help treat it. For primary Raynaud’s Phenomenon, treatment is fairly simple. People who suffer

from primary Raynaud’s Phenomenon simply just avoid the things that trigger Raynaud’s. This

means that they would avoid the cold, avoid caffeine, etc.. Living with primary Raynaud’s

Phenomenon is simply about taking precautions to avoid flareups. Secondary Raynaud’s

Phenomenon though, as one may guess, is much more complicated than that. One article states

that, “…treatment involves vascular-directed therapy in addition to treatment of the underlying

collagen vascular disease or other systemic disorder.” (Stringer) So, in order for secondary

Raynaud’s Phenomenon to be treated, one must go through treatments or therapy that correspond

with their underlying health issue. Secondary Raynaud’s Phenomenon can be very tricky thing to

deal with. One article states that medical procedures may even be needed to help treat this type

of Raynaud’s Phenomenon. It lists different procedures such as nerve surgery and different

chemical injections to help maintain the effects of Raynaud’s Phenomenon.

So much goes into the diagnoses, triggers, and causes of both Raynaud’s Phenomenon

other than just, ‘it is from the cold.’ It can be from all sorts of things. It can be from certain

medications, different stimulants, certain feelings can trigger it, and it could even be an indicator

for a more serious health problem. So, if your fingers suddenly start turning bright white from

the cold, go see a doctor and take this crazy phenomenon a little more seriously.
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Works Cited

AkronChildrens. “Raynaud's Syndrome - Akron Children's Hospital Video.” YouTube, 19 Jan.

2018, www.youtube.com/watch?v=byVqqRHq0mk. Accessed 6 July 2019.

Betton, Carly and Katy Rowland. “Raynaud’s Phenomenon.” Journal of Visual Communication

in Medicine, vol. 31, no. 4, Dec. 2008, pp. 148-149.EBSCOhost, doi10. https://web-b-

ebscohost-com.sinclair.ohionet.org/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=3&sid=fd142892-

5175-4e56-84ce-446aaef522e9%40pdc-v-sessmgr02. Accessed 6 July 2019.

Brigham and Women’s Hospital. “Raynaud's Phenomenon Video – Brigham and Women's

Hospital.” YouTube, 15 Sept. 2015, www.youtube.com/watch?v=Aml-vSYWHrg.

Accessed 5 July 2019.

Herrick, A. L. “Pathogenesis of Raynaud's Phenomenon.” OUP Academic, vol. 44, no. 5, 2015,

pp. 587-596. Oxford University.

https://academic.oup.com/rheumatology/article/44/5/587/2899267?searchresult=1.

Accessed 6 July 2019.

Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research. Photo.

https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/raynauds-disease/symptoms-causes/syc-

20363571

Newman, Tim. “What You Need to Know about Raynaud's Disease.” Medical News Today,

MediLexicon International, 19 Dec. 2017,

www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/176713.php. Accessed 5 July 2019.

Stringer, Thomas, and Alisa N. Femia. " Raynaud’s phenomenon: Current concepts." Clinics in

Dermatology, vol. 36, no. 4, 2018, pp. 498-507. OhioLINK Electronic Journal Center,

doi:10. https://journals-ohiolink-
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edu.sinclair.ohionet.org/pg_200?::NO:200:P200_ARTICLEID:353999563. Accessed 6

July 2019.

Walecka, Irena, et al. “Raynaud’s Phenomenon—the Clinical Picture, Treatment, and

Diagnostics.” Acta Angiologica, vol. 23, no. 1, Mar. 2017, pp. 27-33. EBSCOhost, doi:10.

https://web-b-ebscohost-

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84ce-446aaef522e9%40pdc-v-sessmgr02. Accessed 6 July 2019.