Cold Hands

Hands | General Practice | Cold Hands (Symptom)


Description

Having cold hands even when a person is not in a cold environment is common. Often, having cold hands is a part of the body natural response to regulate the body temperature and should not be cause for concern. The body naturally preserves its core temperature at the expense of the extremities. However, in some conditions cold fingers can appear.

If you are outside in extreme cold weather and you have cold hands, you should watch for warning signs of frostbite. Other signs and symptoms to watch for when you have cold hands include: cold feet, changes to the color of the skin on your hands, such as blue or white skin, numbness or tingling, open sores or blisters, tightened or hardened skin.

Causes

Cold sensations to the fingers can come from poor circulation and disorders of the nervous system as well as cold exposure and low thyroid condition. Cold fingers can also come from: Raynauds phenomenon (or Raynauds disease, is a circulatory disorder in which the blood vessels spasm in response to cold temperatures or emotional stress); Diabetes (a disorder of perpetually elevated blood sugar, typically resulting from insufficient insulin or insulin resistance); Scleroderma (an autoimmune disease that leads to hardening and tightening of the skin and connective tissues). Anaemia can also cause cold fingers.

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