Can lupus cause hands and feet to loose circulation and turn them white?

This is Raynauld's Syndrome. A very common symptom in people with Lupus. My wife suffers from this all the time, even when her Lupus isn't flaring. She has tingling in her hands and feet and is extremely sensitive to cold. There are medications out there to help with this symptom but if you are like many people with Lupus the last thing you want to do is take another medication on top of the ones you already take. My wife finds that hot water bottles (ones you can get from Walgreens) work really well at restoring the circulation and taking away the pain. She also wears socks to bed sometimes to keep her feet warm. I hope this helps...Good Luck!

Well my lupus does but it's really not my lupus doing it. It is one of the many dieases that run right along with lupus. It's called Raynauds Syndrome. What causes Raynaud's phenomenon?
Primary Raynaud's has no known cause. Secondary Raynaud's may develop as a result of another disease such as lupus, scleroderma, rheumatoid arthritis, or atherosclerosis. Other causes of secondary Raynaud's include taking certain medications, using vibrating power tools for several years, smoking, or having frostbite.

Exposure to cold is the most common trigger of an attack of Raynaud's phenomenon. In cold conditions, the body normally conserves heat by narrowing (constricting) blood vessels to the skin and opening (dilating) blood vessels to warm the internal parts of the body. During an attack of Raynaud's phenomenon, the body overreacts and severely restricts the flow of blood through small vessels to the skin. Emotional stress or certain medications can also trigger an attack. An attack of Raynaud's phenomenon usually lasts only a few minutes, but in some cases it may last over an hour, especially if the surrounding temperature remains low.

What are the symptoms?
During an attack of Raynaud's, the small blood vessels (capillaries) that supply blood to the skin become narrow (constrict), limiting blood flow to the hands and feet or, less commonly, the nose or ears. This often causes fingers or toes to feel cold and numb and then turn white. As blood flow returns and the fingers warm, they may turn blue, then red, and begin to throb and become painful.

How is Raynaud's phenomenon diagnosed?
Raynaud's phenomenon is diagnosed through a medical history and physical examination. There are no simple tests that can be used to diagnose the condition, so your health professional will rely on your description of your symptoms. Blood tests or other tests may be used to rule out other conditions that may be causing your symptoms.

How is it treated?
You may be able to prevent or relieve symptoms and limit attacks by avoiding the triggers of Raynaud's. Keep your body warm at all times. If you feel cold, your body will naturally redirect blood from your hands and feet to the central part of your body. If you can't keep the surrounding temperature above 68F to 70F, wear extra layers of clothing to remain warm. Also, reduce anxiety, quit smoking, and avoid medications or other substances that trigger attacks, such as caffeine, cold medications that contain pseudoephedrine, and beta-blocker medications. If necessary, medication, such as a calcium channel blocker, may be prescribed to increase blood flow to the hands and feet and to relieve symptoms.To keep hands and feet warm, wear mittens or gloves when it is cold outside, use potholders or oven mitts when getting something from the refrigerator or freezer, and wear wool or synthetic socks rather than pure cotton socks. Running warm water over your hands will often increase blood flow to them. Swinging your arms in a circle at the sides of your body ("windmilling") can temporarily increase blood flow into your fingers.

I hope this helps you out some.

That would be Raynaud's syndrome which often comes along with lupus. I have both.
Raynaud's disease and Raynaud's phenomenon are rare disorders that affect blood vessels. These disorders are marked by brief episodes of vasospasm (narrowing of the blood vessels). Vasospasm causes decreased blood flow to the fingers and toes, and rarely to the nose, ears, nipples, and lips. The fingers are the most commonly affected area, but the toes also are affected in 40 percent of people with Raynaud's.

When this disorder occurs without any known cause, it is called Raynaud's disease, or primary Raynaud's. When the condition occurs along with a likely cause, it is known as Raynaud's phenomenon, or secondary Raynaud's. Primary Raynaud's is more common and tends to be less severe than secondary Raynaud's.

As suggested, Raynaud's disease causes an increased sensitivity to cold. Often found with rheumatoid arthritis, scleroderma and, possibly, lupus.

The Cryoglobulin blood test identifies the presence of abnormal proteins in the blood which will precipitate when the body temperature drops below normal, causing a blockage of blood vessels. The test involves collecting blood and cooling it in the laboratory, then checking for the presence of the precipitate. Patients who have a positive test for Cryoglobulin are more sensitive to cold temperature and may suffer from Raynaud's disease.

As a personal observation, I am less sensitive to cold as my overall health improves and inflammation is reduced, most notably through antibiotics.

Lupus and rheumatoid arthritis are both rheumatic diseases, best treated by adding antibiotics to anti-inflammatory medications.

Get an appointment with an orthopaedist, the medical doctor specializing in diseases of the bones, joints and skin, for a diagnosis and a review of treatment options, including antibiotics.

Rheumatic diseases are the result of a defective gene and collagen inflammation, often from a chronic infection. Collagen is present throughout the body, from the eyes, skin and joints to the heart. Hence, the multiplicity of symptoms, depending on the location of the most affected internal organs or body parts.

Rheumatic diseases are diagnosed in much the same way as rheumatoid arthritis, through a number of blood tests showing inflammation:

- Antistreptolysin-O (ASO);
- C-Reactive protein (CRP);
- Erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR);
- Rheumatoid factor (RF);
- Immunoglobulins A, E, and G;
- Complement 3 (C-3).

For more than 27 years, I have had seronegative rheumatoid arthritis like 20% of patients with rheumatoid arthritis. You may recognize some of the telling signs of seronegative rheumatoid arthritis:

- Joint pain or cracking joints in the lower extremities, feet, ankles, knees or hips in the early 20's or late teens;
- Fatigue, especially after a moderate exercise like a 30 minute walk;
- Blood test showing a negative or low level of Rheumatoid factor (RF);
- Joint deformities of the fingers, after a few years, a specific sign of rheumatoid arthritis;
- Consecutive X-Rays, over several years, showing bone erosion, a consequence of rheumatoid arthritis;
- Generalized arthritis and pain, involving the whole body;
- Blood tests showing elevated levels of C-Reactive protein (CRP) and Sedimentation rate (ESR).

Antibiotics like Minocin, NSAIDs like Voltaren, COX-2 inhibitors like Celebrex, acetaminophen like Tylenol, codeine, and statins like Lipitor are all used to control inflammation and relieve the pain of arthritis or lupus.

Regular exercise like walking, biking and swimming is also helpful for most patients. Patients should make sure that they are not overweight as carrying too much weight can only increase the pain of arthritis in the supporting joints of the hips, knees, ankles and feet.

For any form of rheumatic disease, including lupus, patients should consult an orthopaedist who will order blood tests, joint scans and X-Rays to better diagnose the type of rheumatic disease from which they suffer.

The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons at http://www.aaos.org maintains a public online directory where you can find the address and phone number of orthopaedists who belong to the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. Orthopaedists are listed by geographic location and family name, inside the USA and in most countries.

The membership directory of the AAOS is located at:

http://www6.aaos.org/about/public/member...

The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons maintains a wealth of information online at:

http://orthoinfo.aaos.org

In some cases, patients should also consult a microbiologist, a medical doctor specializing in infections, working in a university teaching hospital, who will order his own blood tests and stool cultures to identify all microorganisms, bacteria or viruses, causing an infection, and prescribe the best antibiotics and antiviral agents to fight these microorganisms.

The American Society for Microbiology at http://www.asm.org maintains an Academy fellowship directory where you can find the address and phone number of microbiologists. Microbiologists are listed by area of expertise, geographic location and family name, inside the USA and in most countries.

The Academy fellowship directory of the ASM is located at:

http://www.asm.org/Directories/fellows_s...

Lyme disease could be a possibility. Ask the doctor to test you for the bacteria causing Lyme disease.

Are there any other cases of lupus, arthritis or rheumatic diseases among your relatives? Chronic forms of lupus and rheumatic diseases are usually prevalent in families where a defective gene is passed on by parents to their children.

There are a few hundred types of arthritis and rheumatic diseases. The good news is that science is progressing rapidly in its understanding of rheumatic diseases.

Antibiotics are now used to achieve full remissions for at least 40%, if not 65% of patients with rheumatoid arthritis. The same can be done for a rheumatic disease like lupus. For more info, please join the antibio group at:

http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/ant...