Raynaud’s disease is a common circulatory condition that affects thousands of people every year and causes the hands, arms, and feet to become warm, red and painful to the touch; it’s commonly mistaken for other conditions such as arthritis due to the swelling and pain it displays, but it’s a condition that can usually be traced down to something that affects the heart or circulation in such a way to cause it.
If you have a connective tissue disorder like Ehlers-Danlos syndrome or you have an underlying heart condition, you could be at an increased risk of developing Raynaud’s disease at any point in your life with certain triggers that worsen the condition.
Causes can include exposure to vibration, underlying heart conditions, changes in temperature and other conditions of the circulatory system commonly trigger Raynaud’s. Some substances and medications can also increase your risk of developing it even further.
Here are 14 causes of Raynaud’s disease that you should know about.
1. Underlying Heart Conditions
Raynaud’s disease causes redness, pain and swelling in the arms, hands or feet. Sometimes it can also cause a feeling of pins and needles, numbness or characteristic shooting pain in the hands – and this is because Raynaud’s disease can sometimes point towards an underlying and undiagnosed heart condition.
It’s a symptom that’s generally caused by issues that relate to circulation or things that can affect it. This means that if you develop Raynaud’s disease together with fatigue, shortness of breath and any other typical heart condition symptoms you should see your doctor or cardiologist immediately:
It could mean that your heart is taking strain and Raynaud’s disease is the way in which it’s manifesting. You’re likely to experience some other heart-related symptoms together with this, but also might not.
Consider yourself more at risk if you have a family history of heart conditions even if it was never diagnosed during their lifetime.
