How does Raynaud’s syndrome develop and is there anything you can do to get rid of it if you have it?

Question: How does Raynaud's syndrome develop and is there anything you can do to get rid of it if you have it?
- Keywords:
  develop,
  raynaud's,
  syndrome
Asked by ludwigbeilschmidt to Mike, Pip, Tim, Tom on 4 Jul 2012.
- Tom Lister answered on 4 Jul 2012:
  
  As with any syndrome, this is diagnosed when a person exhibits a certain set of symptoms (so the underlying cause may not always be the same) – in the case of Raynaud’s they can have hand and feet that either go very pale, or very red in response to temperature change. We have a few patients with this condition who seem to have permanent redness in their hands which we are trying to reduce. I believe this is also part of a wider syndrome (CREST) – these people seem to have all sorts of issues, including kidney problems and difficulty healing from their treatment.
  
  In answer to your question, I’m afraid I don’t know the exact cause (apart from it may be different in different people) or anything much about how to treat it.
- Tim Stephens answered on 4 Jul 2012:
  
  Thanks, Tom. I didn’t have an answer for this one!

Question: How does Raynaud's syndrome develop and is there anything you can do to get rid of it if you have it?