Dr. K.K. Pandey
drpandeykk@gmail.com
You must have often heard your relatives or acquaintances saying that their fingers become numb in cold or snowy weather and often turn blue and swollen and cause severe pain. Sometimes, when one spends a lot of time in snowy weather, fingers turn black. Have you ever wondered why this happens?
People suffering from Raynaud’s disease should avoid cold and ice
People suffering from Raynaud’s disease, 90% of whom are women, should protect their fingers in cold weather. People who are associated with food preservation industry should also take special care of their hands in cold weather. The hands of these people come in contact with cold and hot water frequently. People who use rotating tools like drilling machine, mixer or hair dryer in beauty parlour or spend a lot of time on piano, harmonium and typing machine should also protect their hands in icy cold weather.
Patients of autoimmune disease and cervical rib should avoid cold
People suffering from autoimmune disease i.e., scleroderma should take special care to avoid cold. Never put your hand directly in the icy upper deep freezer compartment of the refrigerator to take out something like frozen items. Always open the door of the refrigerator with wearing cotton gloves. There are a few percentages of people who are suffering from cervical ribs, i.e., extra ribs coming out of the neck. In such people, the blood supply to the hands and fingers is already weak due to unnecessary pressure of the neck muscles. But due to cold, the already decreased blood supply of hand reduces further and the fingers turn blue.
What should diabetic patients do in winter
Due to the continuous accumulation of fat and calcium in the pure blood vessels of the hands of diabetic patients, the supply of pure blood is already less and it reduces even more when cold hits them. If carelessness is shown, the fingers of the hands turn black. Therefore, diabetic patients should always keep their hands clean and dry. Always keep their hands covered with cotton or woollen gloves in cold and snowy weather. Never apply heat to the hands with an electric heater or a hot water bottle! Go for a morning walk only when the sun is shining! If black colour or black scab is seen in the fingers of the hand, then immediately contact a vascular surgeon.
Tobacco-chewers and smokers should be careful in winters
You must have noticed that often people who smoke hookah, tobacco and cigarrete, have one or two fingers that are black or already cut. Often in extreme cold, the redness or tingling sensation in the hands of such people increases and sometimes the pain becomes unbearable. The blood pipes of the hands of such people are already constricted due to nicotine of tobacco and on top of that, the supply of whatever blood is left in the hand is completely disrupted due to exposure to cold and frosty air. The result is gangrene and wounds in the fingers. Such patients should completely stop consuming tobacco and smoking. If the pain is becoming unbearable and the colour of the fingers is turning black, then definitely consult an experienced vascular or a cardiovascular surgeon, otherwise in such circumstances, there can be a situation of losing fingers.
Vasculitis patients should take special care of their hands
The arrival of winter brings problems in the hands of patients suffering from vasculitis, i.e., inflammation of the walls of blood pipes of hand. In winter, the walls of blood pipes swell and often blood clots accumulate in the swollen blood pipes and the flow of pure blood is completely blocked and fingers of the hands may turn black. Such patients should protect their hands from cold and use some special medicines so that the clots do not accumulate in the blood vessels. Vasculitis patients should contact a vascular surgeon before the onset of winter and keep taking advice.
Avoid snowy mountains and icy winds
Soldiers and civilians who always or for many months live on snowy mountains often lose fingers of the hands. This phenomenon is called “frost bite” in medical language. In this condition, the fingers suddenly turn black. Due to extreme cold, the small blood pipes of the fingers get completely blocked. People living in such adverse conditions should always avoid smoking and should not keep their hands open and exposed to icy cold air. The fingers of the soldiers posted in places like Siachen and Ladakh often become victims of “frost bite”. Mostly the fingers of those soldiers turn black who smoke or smoke cigarettes there despite such severe cold. Patients suffering from “frost bite” should immediately consult a vascular surgeon.
(The author is Senior Vascular & Endovascular Surgeon Indraprastha Apollo Hospital, Sarita Vihar, New Delhi )
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