Many of us look forward to winter with its peaceful landscapes and fun in the snow. But winter also arrives with a raft of special health concerns, occasioned by dry air, less light, icy walks, and Jack Frost nipping at our nose (and fingers and toes). Most of these are easy to prevent or treat before they progress. It’s important to pay attention to the early signs of trouble.
Let’s start with three health concerns associated with cold weather:
Raynaud’s Disease
Do your fingertips (and maybe your toes, lips, ears, or even your tongue) turn white and numb with exposure to the cold? If so, you may suffer from Raynaud’s Disease, a poorly understood condition in which small arteries in the fingers (occasionally the toes, nose, lips, ears and other body parts) narrow upon contact with the cold. Some people have symptoms of Raynaud’s after removing packages of food from the freezer, handling a bag of ice, running around barefoot on cold floors, or even sitting in an air-conditioned room.
Most people with the condition suffer the mild form of Raynaud’s called primary Raynaud’s, which affects up to 15 percent of the population overall, is much more prevalent in women, and usually manifests first in early adulthood.
The affected parts become numb and turn a ghostly white, sometimes even blue. As they warm back up, they may tingle, and ache or burn. Though the numb, whitened fingers or toes look and feel scary, the condition itself doesn’t damage the skin or underlying tissues (as long as exposure doesn’t lead to frostbite; see below).
Most people cope easily with Raynaud’s by remembering to cover up exposed skin before going out into the cold, handling frozen foods, or even grabbing the steering wheel with bare hands in a cold car. They wear socks or slippers inside.
A more serious form of this phenomenon, called secondary Raynaud’s, indicates an underlying problem such as an autoimmune or connective-tissue disease, an injury to hand or wrist, or as a side effect of some forms of chemotherapy. Secondary Raynaud’s tends to occur after age 40. If you experience severe, long-lasting whiteness/numbness, or if an affected finger, toe or other body part develops a sore or blister, seek medical help immediately.
Learn more about Raynaud’s.
Frostbite
Frostbite refers to actual damage to tissues exposed to extreme cold. Anyone can suffer frostbite (unlike Raynaud’s, which affects only susceptible populations). It can affect any exposed area of the body.
In the early stages, damage to cold-exposed skin is called frostnip. Exposed areas begin feeling numb and turn white, a sign to move into warmer quarters or cover the exposed areas, adding another layer if they’re already covered.
Frost-nipped tissues may tingle and ache as they warm back up, but they won’t have suffered any permanent damage. But numb skin may prevent you from realizing that continued exposure is leading to the more serious damage of frostbite, which, in its most severe form can lead to blistering, infection, nerve damage, and eventually even the death of the body parts involved.
To treat the frostbite at any stage, warm the affected body parts gradually. Wrap the area in blankets, sweaters, coats, etc. You can also place frostbitten hands under the armpits or use your body to cover the affected area. Seek medical attention as soon as possible.
Caution: Never rub or massage nipped/frostbitten skin, and don’t soak affected areas in hot water. Instead, warm the frostbitten areas gradually. Wrap them in warm coverings, holding them under warm (not hot) water for 15-20 minutes. If the feeling doesn’t return within 15-20 minutes, or if you experience serious pain, redness or blistering, seek immediate medical attention.
Photo credit: Ankxiteatr/Shutterstock
Hypothermia
When the body loses heat faster than it can warm itself, it triggers a condition called hypothermia. When body temperature drops below 95° (98.6° is normal), it becomes increasingly difficult for the heart, brain, nervous system, and other organs to work properly.
Shivering is the first symptom. When most of us start shivering, we go inside to warmer quarters or add a layer or two of clothing. But the process of hypothermia proceeds so gradually, we sometimes don’t take action soon enough. Unless we move into a warmer space, remove wet clothing and/or add extra layers of clothing, the shivering may progress to slurred speech, clumsiness, confusion, drowsiness, and ultimately, loss of consciousness.
Infants, small children, people with disabilities, and elderly people may not be able to articulate or demonstrate how cold they’re getting, so if you have these people in your care, make sure to check them regularly.
Consult this checklist for help diagnosing and recovering from hypothermia.
Chilblains
Ever had red, itchy fingers or toes? Chilblains (erythema pernio) from cold exposure commonly affects capillary beds. This damage is superficial but permanent. The redness and itching will return with re-exposure to cold. The condition is uncomfortable but not serious. Preventing exposure to cold is the best treatment. The drug nifedipine, taken by mouth, sometimes relieves symptoms.
Take Cold Injury Seriously
Cold weather injuries can come on in minutes and be life or limb threatening. So be observant and look for any early signs.
Of course, the best way to avoid these injuries is to:
- Be aware of the current and forecasted weather before going outside in the cold. See your local 7-day weather forecast.
- Take note of the windchill factor. This measures how much colder the body feels and how much faster the body loses heat depending on how much the wind is blowing. See our windchill chart for the U.S. and for Canada.
- Dress properly for the outside temperature and for the activities you will be doing. See how to keep warm in winter!
- If you or a family member is shivering, your body is telling you to go back inside.
Stay safe this winter—and have fun!
Reader Comments
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Raynauds
M. Boyles has obviously never suffered any symptoms of Raynaud’s. “Cope easily”?? Yeah, right. The pain Raynaud’s brings in summer is a somewhat minor annoyance. However, in winter, my toes can only handle freezing and thawing through October before they become throbbing, blue-white blistered grape tomatoes until May. The damage has made me lose toenails. It is a horrible illness that should not be dismissed so casually. And it is not a matter of “oh, just wear gloves and slippers.” I would bet anyone with this ailment has yet to find a pair of gloves or slippers that they don’t freeze right through. Thanks to Mr. Lamont for a little more insight at least.
Raynaud's sometimes can lead to Scleroderma
My mother's Rannaud's started with one finger and eventually all fingers. She wore gloves often, even indoors. Sometimes it helped to use hand warmer packets in her jacket pockets for those extreme days. Eventually she developed Systemic Scleroderma (there are two types of Scleroderma, Systemic being the worst). There is no cure. It is thought to be an one of many immune diseases. My mother did not experience every possible symptom of the desease, but it did take her life. If you have Raynaud's symptoms, do check out symptoms of Scleroderma as early treatment is crucial.
More on Raynaud's
This is first-hand information, from someone who has it.
As the article suggests, it's not just ambient cold, but cold plus pressure which reliably triggers the condition. Gripping cold objects firmly (e.g. a steering wheel), especially in cold weather, is how it often starts for me. When I feel the numbness in my fingertips, one immediate solution is to take the glove off of the affected hand, and place the hand against the car's hot air blower vent to warm it up. You can also put your fingers in your mouth and breathe on them. Don't forget to keep control of the car, though!
As the vessel spasm starts to recede, and color creeps back into the fingertips, the areas which were white become bluish, then red, then finally back to normal. The color progression is normal, not a sign of damage; the blue is called cyanosis, and results from those tissues having been deprived of oxygen while the blood supply was squeezed off. Bear in mind also that the vessels in spasm are located closer to the palm, not right at the fingertips, so it's more effective to warm the whole hand.
Raynaud's is associated with asthma and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS, not to be confused with IBD). Since blood vessels, smaller airways, and intestines are all composed of smooth muscle, this suggests an as yet unexplained hyperreactivity of that type of muscle to autonomic nerve stimulation. "Smooth muscle" is different from the type of muscle you exercise at the gym - that's "skeletal muscle"; and the "autonomic" nervous system is the part which is involved in emotional responses, and other body processes which function automatically, outside of voluntary control.
Barry, Thank you for such an
Barry, Thank you for such an insightful and informative comment on Raynaud’s! That was very helpful in understanding the condition.