Raynaud's Phenomenon in a Healthy Turkish Population

Abstract

Raynaud's phenomenon (RP) is a vasospastic disease and is characterized by ischemia of the digits, nose, and ears. The vasospasm can be triggered by cold weather, cold water, or emotional stress and is followed by triphasic color changes. First white color (ischemia), then blue color (congestion and cyanosis), and finally red color change (reactive hyperemia) can be observed. The prevalence is reported to be between 0.5 and 20% in different studies and is dependent on genetic, occupational, and environmental factors. The purpose of our study was to determine the prevalence of RP in an eastern part of Turkey among healthy subjects. A total of 768 people were included in the study. This cross-sectional study was conducted between April 2003 and October 2003 at the University Hospital and at the State Hospital in Van, Turkey. The participants were interviewed and examined to diagnose RP and a questionnaire and color charts were used. Of these 768 patients, 25 women and 20 men were diagnosed to have RP. A female predominance (25/20) was observed. Their mean age was 24.78 +/- 5.71 years. The prevalence of RP was 5.9% in our study population.