Raynaud’s Phenomenon

Raynaud’s phenomenon (RP) is a clinical consequence of recurrent vasospasm of the small arteries and arterioles of the fingers and toes provoked by cold and emotional stress. RP is classified into two categories, i.e., primary and secondary RP. Primary RP is an isolated finding in the absence of an underlying pathology, while secondary RP is a syndrome in the context of another disease. The patients with primary RP have a younger age at onset, sparing of the thumb, and benign course without development of digital ulcers. Contrarily, secondary RP is characterized with later age of onset above 30 years, thumb involvement, and more severe course with possible development of trophic changes. In these cases, a focused, complaint-directed history and physical examination aim to reveal clinical symptoms and findings that confirm the presence of an underlying disorder, e.g., connective tissue disease (CTD) or other pathology. Together with clinical examination, laboratory, immunological, and capillaroscopic assessments facilitate the internal differential diagnosis of secondary RP. The capillaroscopic examination should be performed in all patients with symptoms of RP even in those cases without signs of systemic rheumatic disease, because the abnormal capillaroscopic picture inherits a high positive predictive value for the development of CTD