eMedicine Specialties > Rheumatology > Systemic Rheumatic Disease

Raynaud Phenomenon: Follow-up

Author: S Anita Narayanan, MD, Fellow in Rheumatology, University of Arizona College of Medicine
Coauthor(s): Jeffrey R Lisse, MD, FACP, Professor, Department of Internal Medicine, Chief, Section of Rheumatology, University of Arizona School of Medicine; Mayra Oberto-Medina, DO, Fellow, Section of Rheumatology, University of Arizona
Contributor Information and Disclosures

Updated: Jun 3, 2009

Follow-up

Further Inpatient Care

  • Primary Raynaud phenomenon is usually treatable on an outpatient basis.
  • Although the same drugs and maneuvers are used for the phenomenon itself, treatment of secondary Raynaud phenomenon depends on the underlying disease.

Further Outpatient Care

  • Patients should check their systemic blood pressure regularly and may want to keep a log of the number and severity of attacks. This may help in evaluating the efficacy of therapeutic management.

Transfer

  • Transfer is not usually necessary.

Deterrence/Prevention

  • Avoid cold and stressful situations that precipitate attacks.

Complications

  • Rarely, digital ulceration and tissue loss result from primary Raynaud phenomenon.
  • The complications associated with secondary Raynaud are usually related to the underlying disease. The direst of these include loss of tissue pulp in the distal phalanx, ulceration, and digital gangrene.
  • Critical digital ischemia necessitates aggressive management. It is considered a medical emergency that requires hospitalization. Warm temperature and bed rest are used to decrease trauma and activity and to control pain.
    • Local infiltration of lidocaine or bupivacaine at the base of the involved digits decreases sympathomimetic input, reduces ischemic pain, and improves blood flow.
    • Rapidly advancing ischemic tissue anticoagulant therapy may be necessary. No algorithms or studies exist for the use of heparin.
    • Intravenous iloprost, alprostadil, or epoprostenol can be used if anticoagulant therapy fails or if the ischemia rapidly worsens.
    • Failure of all these therapies might warrant surgical intervention with distal digital sympathectomy and arterial reconstruction.
    • Further workup for vasculitis, thrombosis, arthrosclerosis, among other conditions, must be performed while treatment is in place.

Prognosis

  • The prognosis of primary Raynaud phenomenon is usually very good, with no mortality and little morbidity.
  • The prognosis of secondary Raynaud phenomenon is related to the underlying disease. The prognosis for the involved digit or digits in these patients is related to the severity of the ischemia and the effectiveness of maneuvers to restore blood flow.

Patient Education

  • Patients with Raynaud phenomenon should avoid situations that precipitate their attacks, and they should insulate their hands from the cold.
  • Smoking should be prohibited.
  • If ulcerations develop, patients need to keep them sterile and to treat any infections aggressively that may intercede. All of this should be done under the supervision of a physician.
  • If ulcerations or gangrene occur, a consultation with a wound care specialist may be useful.
  • For excellent patient education resources, visit eMedicine's Circulatory Problems Center. Also, see eMedicine's patient education article Raynaud Phenomenon.

Miscellaneous

Medicolegal Pitfalls

  • Failure to appropriately diagnose a secondary disorder

Special Concerns

  • Caution should be taken to not overlook an underlying disorder.
  • Wounds need to be treated appropriately.
 


More on Raynaud Phenomenon

Overview: Raynaud Phenomenon
Differential Diagnoses & Workup: Raynaud Phenomenon
Treatment & Medication: Raynaud Phenomenon
Follow-up: Raynaud Phenomenon
Multimedia: Raynaud Phenomenon
References
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Further Reading

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Keywords

Raynaud's phenomenon, Raynaud phenomenon, vasospasm, Raynaud disease, Raynaud’s disease, reversible ischemia of peripheral arterioles, exposure to cold, stress-related ischemia, systemic sclerosis, scleroderma, secondary Raynaud, secondary Raynaud's, vasospasm, pallor, white finger disease

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Contributor Information and Disclosures

Author

S Anita Narayanan, MD, Fellow in Rheumatology, University of Arizona College of Medicine
S Anita Narayanan, MD is a member of the following medical societies: American College of Physicians, American College of Rheumatology, and American Medical Association
Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Coauthor(s)

Jeffrey R Lisse, MD, FACP, Professor, Department of Internal Medicine, Chief, Section of Rheumatology, University of Arizona School of Medicine
Jeffrey R Lisse, MD, FACP is a member of the following medical societies: Alpha Omega Alpha, American College of Physicians-American Society of Internal Medicine, American College of Rheumatology, American Geriatrics Society, and Sigma Xi
Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Mayra Oberto-Medina, DO, Fellow, Section of Rheumatology, University of Arizona
Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Medical Editor

John Varga, MD, Professor, Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Rheumatology, Northwestern University
John Varga, MD is a member of the following medical societies: American College of Physicians, American College of Rheumatology, Central Society for Clinical Research, and Society for Investigative Dermatology
Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Pharmacy Editor

Francisco Talavera, PharmD, PhD, Senior Pharmacy Editor, eMedicine
Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Managing Editor

Elliot Goldberg, MD, Dean of the Western Pennsylvania Clinical Campus, Professor, Department of Medicine, Temple University School of Medicine
Elliot Goldberg, MD is a member of the following medical societies: Alpha Omega Alpha, American College of Physicians, and American College of Rheumatology
Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

CME Editor

Alex J Mechaber, MD, FACP, Associate Dean for Undergraduate Medical Education, Associate Professor of Medicine, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine
Alex J Mechaber, MD, FACP is a member of the following medical societies: Alpha Omega Alpha, American College of Physicians-American Society of Internal Medicine, and Society of General Internal Medicine
Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Chief Editor

Herbert S Diamond, MD, Professor of Medicine, Temple University School of Medicine; Chairman Emeritus, Department of Internal Medicine, Western Pennsylvania Hospital
Herbert S Diamond, MD is a member of the following medical societies: Alpha Omega Alpha, American College of Physicians, American College of Rheumatology, American Medical Association, and Phi Beta Kappa
Disclosure: medifocus Honoraria Review panel membership; health dialogs Honoraria Consulting; West Penn Allegheny Health System None Board membership

 
 
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