2023-11-25 08:56:45
by Emilio Assanelli
The causes can be different. In Raynaud’s syndrome, an abnormal reaction occurs in the hands characterized by excessive vasoconstriction of the small arteries, which causes pain and a characteristic color of the skin
I am often cold and shivering and my hands are “frozen”, even if the weather is mild. Could it be a circulation problem?
Answered by Emilio Assanelli, head of the Emergency Department, Monzino Cardiology Centre, Milan (GO TO THE FORUM)
When the external temperature drops significantly, due to natural or artificial causes, the small arteries that run near the skin surface narrow to limit heat dispersion; in these cases we speak of vasoconstriction. This defense mechanism, in addition to making the body extremities (hands and feet) cold, accentuates their pallor. Therefore, in these situations, feeling cold in the hands is a rather common symptom. In most cases it is a benign phenomenon. In some people, however, cold hands can be the expression of certain pathologies. This is the case, for example, of Raynaud’s syndrome, a condition in which, following exposure to cold, an abnormal reaction occurs in the hands characterized by excessive vasoconstriction of the small arteries, which causes pain and a characteristic color of the skin.
Other possible causes
Cold hands and feet can also be an expression of reduced thyroid function (hypothyroidism); in this case, paleness, chronic weakness and weight gain often also appear. The feeling of cold in the feet is typical of peripheral arterial disease, a condition in which the lumen of the arteries is narrowed due to the presence of fatty plaques (atherosclerosis). Diabetes mellitus may also be responsible, due to the damage it sometimes causes in small blood vessels. Cold in the extremities is also common among patients taking beta-blocking drugs. Finally, in some cases it could be the clinical manifestation of heart disease. Therefore, although in most cases the presence of cold hands is not associated with illness, only after a careful medical examination and a thorough search for any further signs or symptoms of pathology will it be possible to define the correct diagnostic procedure and, possibly, the specific therapeutic path.
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November 25, 2023 (modified November 25, 2023 | 07:58)
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