Raynaud’s disease, the symptoms of which are manifested, in most cases, in women, is a sudden narrowing of the lumen of the walls of blood vessels. The reason for the narrowing of the vessels is a disruption of the central nervous system. This pathology affects the walls of blood vessels, connective tissue and leads to the development several irreversible complications and mutations.

Reasons for the appearance

According to statistics, Raynaud’s disease in women occurs more often. In men, this disease is extremely rarely diagnosed. Factors provoking the disease:

• severe hypothermia;
• dysfunction of the hormonal system;
• dysfunction of the central nervous system;
• prolonged intoxication of the body;
• other external irritants.

Clinical manifestations

Symptoms of Raynaud’s disease in women depend on the stage of development of the disease:

• pallor of lips, nose;
• disturbances in the work of the respiratory system, asphyxia;
• skin cooling;
• soft tissue necrosis;
• pain;
• spasm of the walls of small blood vessels;
• temporary paralysis of capillaries;
• prolonged asphyxia, prolonged spasms of blood vessels – signs of the third stage of Raynaud’s disease;
• the skin is dark purple at the site of the vascular lesion;
• appearance of blisters filled with blood.

Treatment

The doctor individually for each patient selects the treatment course. Raynaud’s disease is treated therapeutically to stop the signs of the disease and remove the factors that trigger seizures. It is not possible to completely cure Raynaud’s disease. Timely treatment helps to prolong remission for a long time.

At the first stage, conservative treatment methods are selected. Soothing baths, wraps, massage sessions are prescribed. The patient needs to protect the body from even the slightest hypothermia, protect the nervous system from stress, and try not to injure upper and lower limbs. Pharmacotherapy for Raynaud’s disease can last for several years, during which remissions will be replaced by relapses.

If symptoms worsen often, it is recommended not to delay pharmacotherapy and to have surgery. In the presence of soft tissue necrosis, which provoked the formation of ulcers, treatment that is carried out aimed at healing wounds and restoring dead tissue.

In the absence of positive dynamics from conservative treatment, surgery is prescribed. Raynaud’s disease is treated with a minimally invasive method of sympathectomy. This surgical method involves excising a part of the nerve through which the impulses sent by the spinal cord pass.

One of the innovative, non-surgical methods for treating Raynaud’s disease, which guarantees a quick and lasting effect, is radiofrequency ablation of the sympathetic ganglia. The essence of this procedure is that the sympathetic ganglia are processed by high-frequency electric pulses, which are directed through a special radio-frequency cannula, with the aim of destruction or modulation of these structures.

The procedure is carried out:

• in an outpatient setting;
• under local anesthesia;
• under the control of an electron-optical converter;
• the duration of the manipulation is 20-30 minutes;
• fast and lasting effect;
• can be performed repeatedly (which is needed extremely rarely).

At the end of the procedure, the patient is under medical supervision for an hour and then returns to his normal lifestyle, without any restrictions.

The nerve is removed or pinched by the clip. The latter technique is given an advantage since in the event of a pronounced side symptomatology, it is possible to carry out the inverse operation and restore the work of the nerve that was “turned off” from the system.

In addition to carrying out a surgical operation, the patient is prescribed to undergo physiotherapy courses, in particular, plasmapheresis has a good effect, aimed at eliminating pathological processes in the circulatory system, and helps to eliminate toxic products from the body.

Raynaud’s disease is an extremely severe pathology that, without treatment, can cause health complications. To prevent an aggravation of the disease, it is necessary to consult a doctor immediately as soon as the first symptoms have been detected.