Raynaud’s Disease -A debilitating condition

Raynaud’s Disease (RD), also called Raynaud’s phenomenon, is a rare disorder of the blood vessels. The symptoms include when one is feeling cold or feeling stressed in some areas of the body like fingers and toes, blood can’t reach to the epidermis (surface of the skin) and the affected areas turn white and blue. When the blood flow returns, the skin turns red. The disease can also affect other areas of the body like nose, lips, ears and even nipples. People who have been affected by Raynaud’s disease is approximately 28 million people in the US.

Community-based surveys have been done to estimate the prevalence of Raynaud’s phenomenon (RP) in the general population. The estimates of the prevalence of RP have ranged from 3 to 20 percent in women and 3 to 14 percent in men in these surveys.

Raynaud phenomena occur more frequently in women (about 20% to 30%), particularly in younger age populations (teens to 20s). The female to male ratio is 9 to 1.

There are two types: – Primary Raynaud’s and secondary Raynaud’s.

Primary Raynaud’s occurs on its own. In UK, approximately 10 million people are affected by the disease and can be difficult to treat. The pathophysiology of primary Raynaud’s phenomenon remains uncertain. Other is secondary Raynaud’s, which is caused by injuries, other diseases, or certain medicines. One in 10 people who have Primary Raynaud’s will go on to develop secondary Raynaud’s.

The market of Raynaud’s phenomenon is largely based on drugs and some key players in the global market of Raynaud’s phenomenon that are- Covis Pharmaceuticals Inc, Allergan Plc, Apricus Biosciences Inc, Sanofi-Aventis, Inc., GlaxoSmithKline, TEVA Pharmaceuticals Industries Ltd., Mylan Inc., Sandoz International GmbH, and Unichempharma etc.

Albeit causes of the disease is unknown, but it seems that blood vessels in the hands and feet appear to overreact to cold temperatures or stress. When exposed to cold temperature like putting the hands, taking shower in cold water etc. is the most likely to affect. Sometimes, emotional stress can also trigger in some people. It can be treated with surgical treatment in severe conditions like serious tissue damage, and skin ulcers.