What is the Difference Between Raynaud’s Syndrome and Raynaud’s Phenomenon

The key difference between Raynaud’s syndrome and Raynaud’s phenomenon is that Raynaud’s syndrome occurs on its own or due to another condition, while Raynaud’s phenomenon occurs only due to an underlying condition, medication, or lifestyle factor.

Raynaud’s syndrome is a disorder characterized by the temporary interruption of blood flow to the fingers, toes, and sometimes other extremities. This condition is triggered by the narrowing of blood vessels, leading to reduced blood circulation in affected areas. This syndrome results in spasms in small blood vessels in the fingers and toes. It is mainly divided into two forms: primary Raynaud’s syndrome (Raynaud’s disease) and secondary Raynaud’s syndrome (Raynaud’s phenomenon). Of these two, primary Raynaud’s syndrome occurs on its own, while secondary Raynaud’s syndrome occurs mainly due to an underlying condition.

CONTENTS

1. Overview and Key Difference
2. What is Raynaud’s Syndrome  
3. What is Raynaud’s Phenomenon
4. Similarities – Raynaud’s Syndrome and Raynaud’s Phenomenon
5. Raynaud’s Syndrome vs. Raynaud’s Phenomenon in Tabular Form
6. Summary – Raynaud’s Syndrome vs. Raynaud’s Phenomenon

What is Raynaud’s Syndrome?

Raynaud’s syndrome is a condition that causes fingers and toes to feel numb and cold in response to cold temperatures or stress. This syndrome affects small blood vessels, especially in the fingers and toes, nose, lips, or ear lobes. During this syndrome, arterioles and capillaries, especially in fingers and toes, tighten more than usual. As a result, the skin in the affected area turns white and blue due to a lack of oxygen in the blood. This may also result in fingers and toes feeling cold or numb. Raynaud’s syndrome affects up to 1 in 20 people in the United States.

Moreover, there are two forms of Raynaud’s syndrome: primary and secondary Raynaud’s syndrome. Primary Raynaud’s syndrome (or Raynaud’s disease) has no identifiable underlying cause, whereas secondary Raynaud’s syndrome (or Raynaud’s phenomenon) is common in people with connective tissue diseases. Repetitive motions and some medications can also cause secondary Raynaud’s syndrome. The symptoms of Raynaud’s syndrome may include skin colour changes, feeling cold or numb, feeling warmth, tingling or throbbing, and skin ulcers and gangrene.

Raynaud’s syndrome can be caused by family history, physical examination, nailfold capillaroscopy, antinuclear antibody (ANA) test, complete blood count (CBC), erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) test, urinalysis, pulse volume recording, and rheumatoid factor (RF) test. Furthermore, treatment options for Raynaud’s syndrome may include lifestyle changes, medications like calcium channel blockers, alpha-blockers, nitroglycerin skin ointment, and procedures like sympathectomy.

What is Raynaud’s Phenomenon?

Raynaud’s phenomenon is also known as the secondary Raynaud’s syndrome. Raynaud’s phenomenon occurs only due to an underlying condition, medication, or lifestyle factor. Moreover, the symptoms of Raynaud’s phenomenon may include fingers that turn pale or white then blue when exposed to cold or stress, fingers that turn red later when hands are warmed, hands that can become swollen and painful when warmed, skin ulcers, or gangrene.

Raynaud’s phenomenon can be diagnosed through medical history, physical examinations, and blood tests. Furthermore, treatment options for Raynaud’s phenomenon may include avoiding exposure to cold conditions, keeping the body areas warm with gloves, socks, scarf, and a hat, stopping smoking, wearing guards over fingers with sores, avoiding trauma to hands, and taking blood pressure medicines, especially during the winter season.

What are the Similarities Between Raynaud’s Syndrome and Raynaud’s Phenomenon?

• Raynaud’s syndrome and Raynaud’s phenomenon are two associated conditions.
• Raynaud’s phenomenon is also known as the secondary Raynaud’s syndrome.
• Both conditions may have similar symptoms, such as skin colour changes, feeling cold or numbness, especially fingers, toes, etc.
• They can be diagnosed through medical history, physical examination, and blood test.

What is the Difference Between Raynaud’s Syndrome and Raynaud’s Phenomenon?

Raynaud’s syndrome occurs on its own or due to another condition, while Raynaud’s phenomenon occurs only due to an underlying condition, medication, or lifestyle factor. Thus, this is the key difference between Raynaud’s syndrome and Raynaud’s phenomenon. Furthermore, the risk factors for Raynaud’s syndrome include people assigned female at birth, people under age 30, people who have a family history of Raynaud’s syndrome, people who have another disease or condition, and people who perform a job that puts repetitive pressure on their hands. On the other hand, the risk factors for Raynaud’s phenomenon include a connective tissue or autoimmune disease, chemical exposure, cigarette smoking, injury, repetitive actions, and side effects from certain medicines.

The infographic below presents the differences between Raynaud’s syndrome and Raynaud’s phenomenon in tabular form for side-by-side comparison.

Summary – Raynaud’s Syndrome vs. Raynaud’s Phenomenon

Raynaud’s syndrome is mainly divided into two forms: primary Raynaud’s syndrome (Raynaud’s disease) and secondary Raynaud’s syndrome (Raynaud’s phenomenon). Therefore, Raynaud’s syndrome and Raynaud’s phenomenon are two associated conditions. Raynaud’s syndrome occurs on its own or due to another condition, while Raynaud’s phenomenon occurs only due to an underlying condition, medication, or lifestyle factor. So this is the key difference between Raynaud’s syndrome and Raynaud’s phenomenon.

Reference:

1. “Raynaud’s Syndrome: Symptoms, Causes & Treatment.” Cleveland Clinic.
2. “Raynaud’s Phenomenon.” National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Image Courtesy:

1. “332 of 365- Raynaud’s Syndrome…” By Pahz (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0) via Flickr
2. “Raynaud phenomenon” By Tcal at English Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0) via Commons Wikimedia