- What are the signs and symptoms
- Possible causes
- Acrocyanosis in the newborn
- How the treatment is done
Acrocyanosis is a permanent vascular disease that gives the skin a bluish tinge, usually affecting the hands, feet and sometimes the face in a symmetrical way, being more frequent in winter and in women. This phenomenon happens because the amount of oxygen that reaches the extremities is very low, making the blood darker, which gives the skin a bluish tone.
Acrocyanosis can be primary, which is considered benign and is not associated with any disease or needs treatment, or secondary, which can be a sign of a more serious disease.
What are the signs and symptoms
Acrocyanosis most often affects women over 20 and worsens with cold and emotional tension. The skin on the fingers or toes becomes cold and bluish, sweats easily, and can swell, however this disease is not painful or causes skin lesions.
Possible causes
Acrocyanosis usually manifests itself at temperatures below 18 ºC, and the skin turns bluish due to low levels of oxygen in the blood.
Acrocyanosis can be primary or secondary. Primary acrocyanosis is considered benign, is not associated with any disease and generally does not need treatment, while secondary acrocyanosis can be caused by some disease, in which case it is considered severe and the treatment consists of diagnosing the disease that causes acrocyanosis and treating -there.
Some of the diseases that can cause acrocyanosis are hypoxia, lung and cardiovascular diseases, connective tissue problems, anorexia nervosa, cancer, blood problems, some medications, psychiatric diseases, infections like HIV, hepatitis C or mononucleosis or heart failure, for example.
Acrocyanosis in the newborn
In newborns, the skin on the hands and feet may have a bluish tinge that disappears in a few hours, and may reappear only when the baby is cold, cries or breastfeeds.
This coloration is due to an increase in the stiffness of the peripheral arterioles, which leads to a congestion of blood low in oxygen, responsible for the bluish color. In these cases, neonatal acrocyanosis is physiological, improves with heating and has no pathological significance.
How the treatment is done
Generally, for primary acrocyanosis, treatment is not necessary, but the doctor may recommend that the person avoid exposing themselves to the cold and may also prescribe calcium channel blocking drugs, which dilate the arteries, such as amlodipine, felodipine or nicardipine, for example, but it has been observed that this is an ineffective measure in reducing cyanosis.
In cases of acrocyanosis secondary to other diseases, the doctor should try to understand if the color indicates a severe clinical picture, and in these cases, the treatment should focus on the disease that may be the cause of acrocyanosis.
