Imagine Being Cold 24/7 - The Mystery of Raynaud's

Everyone gets cold every now and then due to our bodies getting out of homeostatic balance, but imagine if your temperature balance was off and allostasis did not exist when you get cold. This is the case for people who suffer from Raynaud's Syndrome/Phenomenon, a condition in which vasoconstriction occurs throughout the body due to decreased temperature changes and stress (Cutolo et al., 2017). The leads to areas of your body, especially the fingers and toes, becoming very numb and death like in appearance (Mayo Clinic Staff, 2015). Raynaud's Syndrome is also the predecessor of many connective tissues diseases and systemic sclerosis (Gualtierotti et al., 2017).

The exact cause of Raynaud's Syndrome is unknown, but we do know a couple of things. We know that patients undergo vasospasm, the thickening of blood vessels, which typically take place in the arteries leading to the limbs and the capillary beds of the toes and fingers (Mayo Clinic Staff, 2015; Zudin et al., 2017). This vasoconstriction is highly correlated to epithelial cell damage, although the cause of this is unknown (Gualtierotti et al., 2017). Limbs are therefore constricted to the amount of oxygenated blood flow they receive and become cold and numb.

It is important to better understand the underlying cause of Raynaud's syndrome because it will aid us in finding new vasoactive therapies and strategies to improve the daily lives of people with the syndrome, especially because there are no cures and few treatments. Take for example my friend Mary, who has been diagnosed with Raynaud's syndrome for a few years now. Her hands and toes will feel numb and painful with simple tasks such as writing notes in class, drinking anything with ice, air conditioner. Sometimes she even feels cold in temperatures up to 90°F. This limits her ability to go outside in the fall and winter unless she bundles up in three to six layers. Sometimes the pain is too much and she cannot take part in regular activities such as building a snowman, going to the pool, or even riding in a cool air conditioned car in the summer. Most patients with Raynaud's experience symptoms like these that become disabling every season of the year (Sandqvist et al., 2017). By applying beneficence to the study of Raynaud's, we can improve the quality of live for patients and one day find a cure. 

References:
Cutolo, M., Smith, V., Furst, D., Khanna, D., Herrick, A. (2017). Points to consider

Raynaud's phenomenon in systemic sclerosis. Rheumatology, Volume 56, Issue

suppl_5, 1 September 2017, Pages v45–v48,

https://doi.org/10.1093/rheumatology/kex199

Gualtierotti, R., Ingegnoli, F., Griffini, S., Grovetti, E., Borghi, M., Bucciarelli, P.,

Meroni, P., Cugno, M. (2017). Detection of early endothelial damage in patients with Raynaud's phenomenon. Microvascular Research, Volume 113, Issue 1, pages 22-28, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mvr.2017.04.004

Mayo Clinic Staff. (2015). Raynaud's disease. Retrieved

from https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/raynauds

disease/basics/definition/con-20022916

Sandqvist, G., Wollmer, P., Scheja, A., Wildt, M., Hesselstrand, R. (2017). Raynaud's

phenomenon and its impact on activities in daily life during one year of foollow-up in early systemic sclerosis. Scandinavian Journal of Rheumatology, Volume 1, Issue 1, pages 1-4 http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/03009742.2017.1350745

Zudin, A., Gristsenko, A., Hadzhishvili, I., (2017). The effects of diosmin and

hesperidin on capillary blood flow of upper limbs in patients with secondary Raynaud's syndrome. Khirurgiia, Volume 5, Issue 1, pages 60-66. http://doi.org/10.17116/hirurgia2017560-66.