{"id":3854,"date":"2019-12-05T06:29:17","date_gmt":"2019-12-05T06:29:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/veryhealthy.life\/?p=3854"},"modified":"2021-08-12T08:02:46","modified_gmt":"2021-08-12T08:02:46","slug":"14-causes-of-raynauds-disease","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/veryhealthy.life\/14-causes-of-raynauds-disease\/","title":{"rendered":"14 Causes of Raynaud’s Disease"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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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.
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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. 
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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.
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Here are 14 causes of Raynaud’s disease that you should know about.
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1. Underlying Heart Conditions<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Raynaud’s disease causes redness<\/a>, 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 \u2013 and this is because Raynaud’s disease can sometimes point towards an underlying and undiagnosed heart condition.\u00a0
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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: 
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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. 
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Consider yourself more at risk if you have a family history of heart conditions even if it was never diagnosed during their lifetime.
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2. Sudden Temperature Changes<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The body doesn’t like sudden temperature changes going from hot to cold or from cold to hot, and when the temperature <\/a>around the body is suddenly raised or dropped, it can respond with a range of different symptoms that can include general restlessness, sleepiness, and bouts of triggered Raynaud’s disease.\u00a0
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Temperature changes are common during certain seasonal changes, but might also happen to you going inside from the cold, and might also affect you if you’re traveling from one climate through to another one. 
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If you experience Raynaud’s disease triggered by temperature changes, you should start taking a few extra precautions when you know that you’re going to be exposed to hotter or colder temperatures that might trigger your condition.
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Should this have no effect on your symptoms, it’s likely that you have an underlying cause of Raynaud’s instead that might be triggering your condition. Again, seeing your doctor is the best possible course of action.
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3. High Blood Pressure<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Normal blood pressure<\/a> measures somewhere around 120 over 80. A little bit of variation here is entirely normal, but once you cross into larger changes,\u00a0 you’re in the danger zone and might be at risk of a heart attack or stroke and you likely have a condition that’s causing chronic blood pressure problems.\u00a0
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Take special notice if you have any heart conditions or high blood pressure running in the family, and if the answer is yes, speak to your doctor about what can be done about your own risk factors or those of anyone in your family who might still be put at risk such as your children.
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High blood pressure can sometimes accompany Raynaud’s, and flare-ups of high blood pressure can sometimes be associated with flare-ups of Raynaud’s at the same time. 
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If you experience either of these conditions, a diagnosis of the one might help you to find an easier diagnosis of the other. 
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4. Consumption of Caffeine<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Caffeine <\/a>is an essential ingredient for the start to a lot of days, and there are thousands of people who just can’t start their day without some or other form of a caffeine fix \u2013 whether it’s a very strong coffee first thing in the morning or a soda downed on the way to work.\u00a0
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If you notice Raynaud’s flare-ups and you’re unable to find a cause or some of the other causes that are mentioned in this article don’t appear to match up for it, consider the fact that it might be something in your diet that’s been setting it off. 
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Caffeine can be one of the most common of overall causes for Raynaud’s, and if you experience symptoms shortly after your cup of the day, try to cut down or switch over to decaf to see if it has any other effect on the body. 
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If it makes no difference and your symptoms get worse or stay the same, see your doctor. 
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5. Smoking and Secondhand Smoke<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Smoking <\/a>isn’t good for you and an increasing amount of people know this. Even streaming services like Netflix have started to pull scenes with cigarette smoking in an attempt to cut down on the problem \u2013 and it’s not that hard to see why.\u00a0
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Smoking can be one of the largest possible triggers for developing Raynaud’s disease, especially if you have any underlying health conditions that go together with it. If you experience flare-ups of Raynaud’s and you’re a smoker, start cutting down to see if this has any effect on the amount of flare-ups you experience (and where the answer is yes, it’s a good idea to cut smoking out entirely). 
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If you experience Raynaud’s flare-ups even if you aren’t a smoker yourself, remember that secondhand smoke can also trigger the same condition. It’s also true that pollution can do the same. 
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See your doctor if you start to experience the first symptoms of Raynaud’s. They can sometimes help you to track down the root cause. 
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6. Connective Tissue Conditions<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Connective tissue disorders like Marfan Syndrome<\/a> and Ehlers-Danlos are being diagnosed at an increasing rate. If you experience Raynaud’s without being able to find many other causes or triggers (or you’ve eliminated these triggers without it making a difference to how many times you experience flare-ups), start looking around for any other symptoms that might be related to this.\u00a0
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Connective tissue disorders can mean that you have a lowered immune system by default, or it can cause injuries, tears, and hernias much easier than they would have happened to anyone else around you without it. 
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See your doctor for tests if you suspect that you might have an underlying connective tissue disorder: A few lifestyle changes might be needed for the condition to be properly managed \u2013 and for the quality of the life, you lead to increase from here on in.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A proper diagnosis makes all of the difference when it comes to connective tissue conditions.
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7. Exposure to Vibration<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Vibration is one of the most common triggers for Raynaud’s disease that isn’t food or diet-related. If you work with your hands or work with anything that transfers either vibration or impact through to the hands, then the first step should be to have yourself checked out for Raynaud’s disease if you experience any serious symptoms <\/a>of the condition.\u00a0
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The onset of any serious symptoms can usually be triggered by exposure to vibration, and you’ll be able to tie these events together: The hands will usually become warm and swollen around the same time as the triggering event, usually during or afterward, and it can take hours or days for the symptoms to subside from there. 
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If you notice this symptom happening with increasing frequency, the first step should be to see your doctor for the right tests. From there, Raynaud’s is usually easy to manage and treat, and you should be able to continue your normal routine without too many changes. 
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8. Arthritis and Related Conditions<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Arthritis <\/a>can be one of the conditions that commonly accompany a diagnosis of Raynaud’s, and the one can very well be triggered by the other and result in generalized inflammation and swelling of the hands. If you develop arthritis, it’s likely that you might develop Raynaud’s together with it, but it’s not a given that you\u2019re going to \u2013 and there are many instances of Raynaud’s that happens without arthritis and the other way around.\u00a0
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But if you know that you have arthritis or anyone in your family does, get yourself checked for Raynaud’s anyway \u2013 and speak to your doctor to find out what treatment options there are for arthritis. 
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Arthritis is a condition that can affect you at any point or age and the consequences of untreated arthritis can last for life. Caught early on enough, arthritis can be treated and managed, but left untreated it can turn into something with a far more full-body effect.
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9. Working with Power Tools<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Power tools are one of the best inventions since sliced bread <\/a>\u2013 and you might still be able to slice bread with a power tool if you’re careful. But power tools also do things to the other end of the human body that’s holding the tool \u2013 and one of these things is transferring an incredible amount of vibration through directly to the hands.\u00a0
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When this happens, it can affect your circulation in many different ways and it can be one of the things that worsen existing conditions such as arthritis and Raynaud’s. 
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If you experience regular Raynaud’s flare-ups after working with power tools, it’s likely a flare-up related to the associated vibration. Seeing your doctor for the right treatment and medication can help to reduce instances of this happening. 
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Sometimes more regular breaks are needed at work as a result of the condition to avoid damage to the hands and nerves: Ask for an accompanying doctor’s certificate during your appointment. 
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10. Repetitive Strain Injuries<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The term repetitive strain <\/a>injuries describe any kind of injury that’s acquired through long-term stress placed on the same bone, muscle or joint \u2013 and there are many different types of repetitive strain injuries out there that include plantar fasciitis and carpal tunnel (also called CT).\u00a0
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Repetitive strain injuries that affect the hands can also sometimes be one of the most common triggers for Raynaud’s disease. If you experience the symptoms of conditions like arthritis or generalized pain in your hands, it could lead to being one of the possible causes for Raynaud’s: If your hands get swollen, hot and red after you’ve spent time working it could be a repetitive strain injury that’s helping to worsen your Raynaud’s.
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Sometimes it might be one of the causes and not the overall cause. If you have more than one cause of Raynaud’s, speak to your doctor and try to find all of the causes to treat the condition properly.
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11. Underlying Circulatory Conditions<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Raynaud’s is a condition that’s caused largely by circulation issues that affect the arms, hands, legs, and feet \u2013 and if you experience issues with Raynaud’s disease or regular flare-ups that you can’t tie together to any of the previously mentioned causes in this article, it might point towards an underlying circulatory condition that needs to be treated. 
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You are likely to experience some of the other symptoms of circulatory conditions together with this, such as fatigue<\/a>, and you may or may not have an existing family history of heart and circulatory conditions if this is the case. Start by seeing your doctor.
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Any underlying or undiagnosed conditions of the circulatory system or heart can be extremely dangerous, and not knowing if you have any of these puts your health at a very unnecessary amount of risk.
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Check into your family history if you experience Raynaud’s disease and from there see your doctor to discuss what can be done. 
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12. Some Medications<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

If none of the risk factors or causes for Raynaud’s disease mentioned in this list resonates with you or you have successfully eliminated all of the potential risk factors from your diet and you still experience issues with Raynaud’s, there’s an obvious other cause that you might be missing. 
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If you started or stopped taking any kind of medication <\/a>somewhere around the same time as your Raynaud’s flare-ups, it could turn out to be a side-effect of the medication instead.\u00a0
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Check the leaflet for the medications you’re taking if you need to know whether the specific type of medication can trigger or cause Raynaud’s disease. Speak to your doctor about managing the condition or changing to another brand of medication to control Raynaud’s if this is the cause. 
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Never cease or alter medication dosages on your own: This can be extremely dangerous and could in some cases even be potentially fatal.
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13. Weather<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Other than the things that you do in your lifestyle and diet <\/a>that might help to trigger Raynaud’s disease, there are also many other external factors that might have nothing to do with anything you do yourself, but will still trigger your condition in the same way as many other causes on this list.\u00a0
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Sudden and drastic changes in the weather are some of the most common causes of what can trigger Raynaud’s disease or worsen an existing attack of it.
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The body generally doesn’t enjoy sudden temperature changes, and one of the ways in which this can manifest in the body is Raynaud’s disease. It’s commonly mistaken for what people sometimes refer to as \u201cwinter’s hands\u201d, which is actually often just Raynaud’s disease in disguise. 
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Take precautions such as gloves if you think you might be exposed to colder weather and want to save your hands the trouble of a flare-up.
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14. Select Dietary Factors<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Raynaud’s disease doesn’t always mean something as drastic as a heart condition or underlying connective tissue disorder, but it’s important to remember that it can and to take the appropriate steps to track down the cause if you experience any symptoms of the condition.
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Other than caffeine, alcohol and smoking there are some other dietary factors that can also trigger Raynaud’s disease into existence. For some people, it’s spicy foods and for other people it happens every time they eat grapes <\/a>instead.
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Dietary factors are different for everyone, and a \u201cprocess of elimination\u201d when it comes to your diet is the best way to figure out what the dietary factors could be that trigger your particular attacks of Raynaud’s.
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If you aren’t sure what your dietary factors are, speak to a professional diet expert that can help you to find the answer.
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