Raynaud's

What is Raynaud's?

Raynaud's is when the blood stops flowing properly to your fingers and toes. It's quite common and usually happens when you're cold, worried, or stressed. Most people can manage it at home by keeping warm.

What happens to your skin?

When you have Raynaud's, your fingers and toes can change colour in three stages:

1. White or pale - This happens first when blood flow slows down
2. Blue - Your skin might turn blue as blood vessels react
3. Red - Your skin goes red as blood flow comes back

If you have darker skin, your fingertips might just look paler than usual.

Other signs you might notice

Along with colour changes, you might feel:

• Pain in your fingers or toes
• Numbness (like they've gone to sleep)
• Pins and needles
• Your ears, nose, lips, or nipples might be affected too

These feelings can last anywhere from a few minutes to a few hours.

How to help yourself

There are lots of simple things you can do to feel better:

Do:

• Keep your house warm
• Wear warm clothes, especially gloves and warm socks
• Try not to go from hot to cold places quickly
• Exercise regularly - this helps your blood flow better
• Try breathing exercises or yoga to help you relax
• Eat healthy, balanced meals

Don't:

• Smoke - this makes blood flow worse
• Have too much caffeine (tea, coffee, fizzy drinks, chocolate) - this can make symptoms worse

When to speak to your GP

You should see your GP if:

• Your symptoms are very bad or getting worse
• Raynaud's is making daily life difficult
• You only get symptoms on one side of your body
• You also have sore joints, skin rashes, or weak muscles
• You're over 30 and getting Raynaud's symptoms for the first time
• Your child is under 12 and has these symptoms

What your GP might do

If keeping warm isn't helping enough, your GP might give you medicine to help your blood flow better. Some people take this medicine every day, others only use it in cold weather.

Sometimes your GP might want to do some tests. This is because occasionally Raynaud's can be a sign of other health conditions like arthritis.

Is it something else?

Not all hand symptoms are Raynaud's. If you have pins and needles that only last a few minutes, you might have slept on your hand. If your hands shake and you feel breathless but your fingers don't change colour, this might be from breathing too quickly when worried.

Chilblains are different too - they cause burning, itchy swelling after being very cold, and get worse as you warm up.

Getting support

There's a charity called Scleroderma and Raynaud's UK that offers information and support groups for people with Raynaud's.

Remember, most people with Raynaud's can manage it well by staying warm and making simple changes. If you're worried about your symptoms, speak to your GP for advice.

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Based on NHS.uk guidance. Written by Dr Krishnan Pasupathi, NHS GP.