Simply put, people who suffer from Raynaud’s phenomenon don't circulate enough blood to the extremities, resulting in extremely cold and numb feet and hands. It comes and goes, so the results are never around for long, making it more of a nuisance disease than a disabling one. Scientist Maurice Raynaud discovered the condition that bears his name in 1862.
There isn’t a known cause for Raynaud’s phenomenon, but researchers believe it is usually part of an underlying disease like scleroderma, lupus, rheumatoid arthritis or atherosclerosis. Some believe it’s caused by certain medications, habits like smoking or experiencing frostbite. One theory holds that those who constantly use vibrating power tools can acquire the condition.
Most of the time, Reynaud’s is triggered by coming into contact with cold conditions. Those who have the disease are subject to the body restricting blood flow to the skin instead of opening the blood vessels to the inside parts of the body to keep them warm. Stress can worsen the condition.
It’s believed that 3 to 5 percent of the world’s population has Raynaud’s phenomenon. If you narrow it down to groups most likely to experience it, like women ages 15 to 40, Raynaud’s may affect as many as 15 percent of that group. Most of them have primary Raynaud’s, which means there’s no cause like lupus. The rest are considered secondary Raynaud’s subjects, in which the symptoms are just a part of the other aforementioned diseases.