Abstract
Raynaud phenomenon is an episodic vasospasm of the peripheral arteries, causing pallor followed by cyanosis and redness with pain and sometimes paresthesia, and, rarely, ulceration of the fingers and toes (and in some cases of the ears or nose). Primary or idiopathic Raynaud phenomenon (Raynaud disease) occurs without an underlying disease. Secondary Raynaud phenomenon (Raynaud syndrome) occurs in association with an underlying disease – usually connective tissue disorders such as scleroderma, systemic lupus erythematosus, rheumatoid arthritis, or polymyositis. The disorder occurs fairly commonly and can have a variety of other presentations, ranging from mild discomfort to severe pain. It can eventually lead to ulcerations, tissue necrosis, and gangrene. Advances in vascular physiology have showed the role of the endothelium as well as endothelium-independent mechanisms in the altered vasoregulation of Raynaud phenomenon. This has opened promising therapeutic avenues, and it is likely that therapies targeted toward specific pathophysiological steps become available in the near future.
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© 2008 Humana Press, a part of Springer Science+Business Media, LLC
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García-Carrasco, M., Jiménez-Hernández, M., Escárcega, R.O., Etchegaray-Morales, I., Pérez-Alva, J.C. (2008). Raynaud Phenomenon. In: Shoenfeld, Y., Cervera, R., Gershwin, M.E. (eds) Diagnostic Criteria in Autoimmune Diseases. Humana Press. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-60327-285-8_10
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-60327-285-8_10
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