Cold hands and feet
From MEpedia, a crowd-sourced encyclopedia of ME and CFS science and history
Cold hands and feet are a common occurrence with ME/CFS. The cause is believed to be related to the autonomic nervous system being unable to regulate proper blood flow to the small blood vessels that supply the skin. In turn, tiny blood vessels to shut down, resulting in the cold feeling. The fingers, toes, ears and nose are the most vulnerable to this phenomenon.[1]
Presentation[edit | edit source]
Prevalence[edit | edit source]
- In a 2001 Belgian study, 72.2% of patients meeting the Fukuda criteria and 77.2% of patients meeting the Holmes criteria, in a cohort of 2073 CFS patients, reported cold hands and feet.[2]
Symptom recognition[edit | edit source]
The Canadian Consensus Criteria recognizes cold hands and feet as a neuroendocrine system symptom.
Research studies[edit | edit source]
Possible causes[edit | edit source]
- Anemia
- Diabetes
- Lupus
- Nervous system disorders
- Poor circulation
- Raynaud's syndrome
- Thyroid disease
Potential treatments[edit | edit source]
See also[edit | edit source]
Learn more[edit | edit source]
References[edit | edit source]
- ↑ "Why our January quick survey asks about cold hands and feet | 2 January 2014". Retrieved July 11, 2019.
- ↑ De Becker, Pascale; McGregor, Neil; De Meirleir, Kenny (December 2001). "A definition‐based analysis of symptoms in a large cohort of patients with chronic fatigue syndrome". Journal of Internal Medicine. 250 (3): 234–240. doi:10.1046/j.1365-2796.2001.00890.x.
