When hand ischemia is associated with Raynaud's disease, the typical patient is a woman in her mid-30s to mid-50s, Dr.

The answer depends, in part, on the cause.

Hand ischemia can be difficult to diagnose Over time, poor circulation in the arms can lead to calcium deposits that eventually affect all blood vessels there equally. Because it interferes with circulation, atherosclerosis can lead to peripheral vascular disease, which most commonly affects the legs (vascular surgeons treat this condition with surgery) but can sometimes occur in the arms. Yet another cause is atherosclerosis disease, or hardening of the arteries. Strosberg says, is that a patient will come in with a paper cut that just won’t heal. It can cause pain in the fingertips and eventually ulcerations, scabs, or wounds that won't heal. What’s called “occlusive disease” is typically the result of either a direct injury or some type of swelling in the wall of the blood vessel, resulting in turbulent (or high-velocity) blood flow, which can lead to a blood clot. There are other causes of hand ischemia as well. David Strosberg, MD, Yale Medicine vascular surgeon We want to act as quickly as possible to stop their fingers from losing any more tissue. If secondary Raynaud’s disease gets severe, it can result in ischemia serious enough to cause sores in a fingertip. These conditions bring a proliferation of cells in the inner lining of the blood vessels, causing them to constrict and thicken. Secondary Raynaud’s disease is associated with a mixed connective tissue disease, like Sjögren's disease or scleroderma. The good news is that it can often be treated with lifestyle changes. This condition makes the hand hypersensitive to temperature, so cold weather can cause the fingers to grow pale and numb. Primary Raynaud’s disease, the most common type, is vasospastic, meaning the blood vessels abnormally contract on their own. There are two kinds of Raynaud’s-primary and secondary. One cause of hand ischemia is a condition called Raynaud’s disease (or Raynaud’s phenomenon), which affects about 5% of people in the United States.

Colen and Strosberg discuss hand ischemia and how their program helps treat patients. Colen and David Strosberg, MD, a vascular surgeon, have seen enough patients with hand ischemia in their practices to prompt them to develop a multidisciplinary program that draws upon their different backgrounds to help patients with this rare-but serious-disorder.īelow, Drs. “It can impact ill and healthy patients alike,” says David Colen, MD, a plastic and reconstructive surgeon who specializes in hand surgery and extremity reconstruction.ĭr. Though it is uncommon, hand ischemia can affect virtually anyone. Small wounds may fester, to the point where a simple paper cut becomes a painful ulceration. For those with hand ischemia, an inadequate supply of blood to the hands causes the fingers to become painfully cold, numb, and pale-or blueish in color. It’s a term to describe what happens when a blood vessel is blocked, preventing blood and oxygen from reaching it. Ischemia can occur anywhere in your body.

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