A person with Raynaud’s disease experiences pain in the extremities, for example, the fingers, when temperatures drop. Blood vessels narrow and almost completely shut down. Fingers or toes turn from white to blue and, then, as the blood returns, they flush red.

Facts:
Raynaud’s disease is caused by peripheral blood vessels overreacting to cold.
The condition affects 5-10 percent of Americans.
Maurice Raynaud first described the disease in 1862.
Females and people living in colder climates are more often affected.
A capillaroscopy can help diagnose Raynaud’s disease.