Raynaud’s disease is a rare blood disease. People with Raynaud’s suffer from a narrowing of capillaries in response to stress or cold temperature. In most cases, this means extremely cold fingers and toes.
This article will look into the main symptoms, and explore the correlation between hearing loss and Raynaud’s disease.
Who Is at Risk of Raynaud’s?
Anyone can suffer from Raynaud’s disease. However, you are at a higher risk if:
- You are a woman and you are over thirty.
- You have a family history of Raynaud’s.
- You live in a cold climate.
More severe forms of Raynaud’s can be caused by exposure to certain chemicals, usually at the workplace. Additionally, people who work with vibrating tools are much likelier to develop severe Raynaud’s disease.
Why Is Raynaud’s Dangerous?
This disease manifests in the form of attacks. In stressful situations or a cold environment, some areas of the body do not get enough blood. Usually, this happens in the fingers, hands and feet.
Thus, people experiencing a Raynaud’s attack will feel numbness, burning or pain. Additionally, the affected areas turn white and then blue. Severe Raynaud’s disease also comes with a slight risk of gangrene.
Hearing Loss and Raynaud’s Disease
Multiple studies have found a connection between hearing loss and Raynaud’s disease.
Scientists have observed people who work with vibrating tools, such as factory workers and forestry workers. They found that workers who had Raynaud’s disease were much likelier to suffer from hearing loss as well.
More research is needed before medical science can explain the reason behind this connection. But some scientists believe that people with Raynaud’s may have poor blood flow in their inner ear.
What Treatment Options Are There?
Raynaud’s disease doesn’t have a cure. The best approach is prevention, so people with Raynaud’s should avoid exposure to cold.
In some cases, doctors may decide to artificially stop the constriction of capillaries. They can use shots to affect the nervous system. However, this is a rare form of treatment and it usually isn’t necessary.
