Evaluation of the influence of social, demographic, environmental, work-related factors and/or lifestyle habits on Raynaud's phenomenon: a case-control study

Raynaud's Phenomenon with Focus on Systemic Sclerosis

Raynaud’s phenomenon is a painful vascular condition in which abnormal vasoconstriction of the digital arteries causes blanching of the skin. The treatment approach can vary depending on the underlying cause of disease. Raynaud’s phenomenon can present as a primary symptom, in which there is no evidence of underlying disease, or secondary to a range of medical conditions or therapies. Systemic sclerosis is one of the most frequent causes of secondary Raynaud’s phenomenon; its appearance may occur long before other signs and symptoms. Timely, accurate identification of secondary Raynaud’s phenomenon may accelerate a final diagnosis and positively alter prognosis. Capillaroscopy is fundamental in the diagnosis and differentiation of primary and secondary Raynaud’s phenomenon. It is helpful in the very early stages of systemic sclerosis, along with its role in disease monitoring. An extensive range of pharmacotherapies with various routes of administration are available for Raynaud’s phenomenon but a standardized therapeutic plan is still lacking. This review provides insight into recent advances in the understanding of Raynaud’s phenomenon pathophysiology, diagnostic methods, and treatment approaches.

A case of Raynaud's phenomenon of toes induced by whole-body warm stimulation

Raynaud's phenomenon, induced by cold stimulation and emotional stress, is also induced by whole-body warm stimulation. A 74-year-old man was referred to our department because of nocturnal toe pain from 2 years prior and immediate color change of the toes from 1 year prior when submerging himself into a warm bath. Physical examination and blood tests revealed no abnormal findings suggestive of secondary Raynaud's phenomenon. Two years later, the signs and symptoms persisted. When physicians confirm Reynaud's phenomenon, they should check for the possibility of secondary Reynaud's phenomenon. Additional research on Reynaud's phenomenon induced by warm stimulation is needed.

Raynaud's Phenomenon after COVID-19 Vaccination: Causative Association, Temporal Connection, or Mere Bystander?

Herein, we report a case of a new-onset Raynaud's phenomenon (RP), which occurred in an otherwise healthy 31-year-old Caucasian woman, who lacked any known risk factors and associations with possible causes for secondary RP. However, 2 weeks prior to the development of RP, the patient had received her first injection of the COVID-19 vaccine containing ChAdOx1-SARS-COV-2. The patient presented with well-demarcated, white-pale, cold areas involving the middle fingers of both hands and the ring finger of the right hand, which were triggered by exposure to cold environment and accompanied by a sensation of numbness. Infrared thermography revealed notable temperature differences of up to 10.9°C between affected and nonaffected fingers. Coagulation and immunological parameters, including cryoglobulins and pathological autoantibodies, were within the normal range and antibodies to the heparin/platelet factor 4 complex not detectable. It remains unclear if the development of RP in our patient is causally related to antecedent COVID-19 vaccination; however, the temporal connection to the vaccination, the complete absence of RP in her past medical history, and the lack of any risk factors and triggers raise the suspicion of a yet unknown association with the vaccine. Whether a clear association between the development of RP and COVID-19 vaccination exists or whether RP represents a bystander effect needs to be awaited in case observational reports on RP accumulate. Given the steadily rising numbers of people receiving COVID-19 vaccinations, physicians may remain alert to still unrecognized side effects.

Causes of Raynaud's phenomenon and the predictive laboratory and capillaroscopy features for the evolution to a definite connective tissue disease

OBJECTIVE

In patients with Raynaud's phenomenon (RP), capillaroscopy is useful for discriminating primary from secondary causes. There are certain capillaroscopy and lab values as predictive factors leading to a known connective tissue disease (CTD). We conducted the present study to evaluate the causes of RP in our area and followed the studied subjects to find prognostic factors of becoming a definite CTD or remaining undifferentiated connective tissue disease (UCTD).

METHODS

In this retrospective cohort study, we included all adult patients with RP who were referred for capillaroscopy from 2010 to 2019. All the patients with primary and secondary RP with follow-up were evaluated for demography, laboratory, and capillaroscopy to find the risk factors of their progression to a CTD.

RESULTS

760 out of 776 patients were included with 679 being female (89.3%) and 81 (10.7%) male. There were 660 subjects (90.8%) with secondary RP [mostly UCTD (48.2%) and then systemic sclerosis (SSc) (16.4%)] and 67 (9.2%) with primary RP; 109 patients were followed up and 42 (42%) of those with secondary RP developed a definite CTD. Scleroderma pattern and some capillary changes in capillaroscopy and/or positive Anti-Nuclear Antibody (ANA) had statistically significant differences for CTD transition.

CONCLUSION

We had a low number of patients with primary RP. The most prevalent causes of secondary RP in our patients were UCTD and SSc. Some capillaroscopy and laboratory results alone or in combination could be used as a predictive marker for the transition of the patients with UCTD to a CTD.