Primary Raynaud’s
Primary Raynaud’s occurs by itself, and is not associated with any other health issues. It is believed to affect 10% of the population. We don’t know what causes primary Raynaud’s. The medical term for an unknown cause is idiopathic.
What we do know is that the attacks themselves can be triggered by changes in temperature, emotional changes, stress, hormones or in some cases by using certain vibrating tools.
There is evidence that primary Raynaud’s may sometimes be an inherited condition, since multiple cases can arise within the same family with some studies showing the up to 50% of those with primary Raynaud’s have a first-degree relative (parent, sibling or child) who also has the condition. Raynaud’s is not contagious and cannot be passed on to others.
A recent study found that a variation in two genes increased the likelihood of a person developing the condition.
- the alpha-2A-adrenergic receptor for adrenaline, ADRA2A, a classic stress receptor that causes the small blood vessels to contract
- The IRX1 gene, which is thought to regulate the ability of blood vessels to contract.
The next step is to confirm these important findings in more diverse population groups and validate the results through functional studies.