Are your hands just cold, or could you be suffering from a troublesome condition that affects roughly one in six Brits?
Now a simple 1-minute quiz can tell you if you have Raynaud’s disease — the weather-related condition characterised by colour-changing fingertips.
Raynaud’s is a disorder that affects blood circulation, causing a temporary narrowing of the arteries in reaction to certain triggers including cold weather.
This constriction of blood flow causes the extremities to become painful, cold and even change colour.
It’s most famous for triggering in fingers but can also be observed in the toes, ears, nose, nipples or tongue.
Raynaud typically occurs in response to colder temperatures or stress.
Experts still aren’t sure what causes it to occur in most cases.
However, people are advised to keep an eye out for symptoms as Raynaud’s can, very rarely, be the first sign of a serious and little-known autoimmune condition called Scleroderma.
While healthcare experts have identified risk factors and lifestyle or medical issues related to the syndrome, until now, no known genetic cause had been discovered
Now a new quiz, created by the charity Scleroderma & Raynaud’s UK’s, aims to help more people learn if they have signs of the condition via five easy questions.
These include if respondents’ fingers are sensitive to the cold and if they change colour in response to temperature or stress.
The tool also asks if people feel numbness or pain in the area that changes colour and if they experience stinging or throbbing when the area heats up.
Finally, people are asked if they have ever developed sores or ulcers on their fingers or toes.
Participants will then learn their results and be given some advice on what they should do if they may have Raynaud’s.
Those who may have the condition will also be invited to take part in an anonymous medical survey to help learn more about Raynaud’s.
Dr Punam Krishan TV doctor and GP is supporting the campaign and urged people to get involved.
‘I’ve already taken the test and encourage as many people as possible to do the same,’ she said.
‘This campaign is one particularly close to my heart as I know just how challenging the condition can be.’
Karen Raney-Marr, 36 from St Albans in Hertfordshire, is one of the estimated 10million Brits living with Raynaud’s.
Raynaud’s causes miniature spasms in the blood vessels, cutting off the blood supply to the fingers and toes
She said she had been suffering with symptoms for years before getting an official diagnosis.
‘For many years I suffered with cold fingers and toes that also became numb or painful and, at times, changed colour.
‘I was struggling to do normal, everyday activities. I eventually got a Raynaud’s diagnosis from my GP, and now take medication to manage my symptoms.’
However, she still said she usually suffers a bout of Raynaud’s symptoms, called an ‘attack’ about once a day.
‘The attack can lead to chilblains, cracked hands and swelling. I wear gloves for most of the year and layer up when I go into air-conditioned spaces like supermarkets,’ she said.
Ms Raney-Marr encouraged as many people as possible take the online test stating if such a resource was available in her teens she might have gotten support sooner.
Raynaud’s, in most cases, doesn’t cause major problems and can be combated by sufferers ensuring they wrap up extremities to protect from sudden temperature shocks.
People with a more severe versions are occasionally prescribed a type of drug called vasodilators that helps improve blood flow.
However, Raynaud’s can be a sign of serious and potentially life-limiting conditions like the autoimmune condition scleroderma.
Scleroderma is rare condition where tissue in the body hardens and becomes thickened.
Usually only the skin is affected, but this process can extend to joints and even internal organs like the heart and lungs, which can be life threatening.
Only some 20,000 Brits are thought to have scleroderma but it’s very common for those that do to also have Raynaud’s.
About one in 10 people with Raynaud’s go on to develop an autoimmune condition such as arthritis, lupus or even scleroderma so it’s important to get symptoms checked by a GP if they start to get worse.
Those who develop Raynaud’s suddenly after the age of 30 or before the age of 12 are also encouraged to see their family doctor.
