Acrocianoosis is a permanent vascular disease that gives the skin a bluish tint, which usually affects the hands, feet and sometimes the face symmetrically, being more common in winter and in women. This occurs because the amount of oxygen reaching the limbs is very low, which darkens the blood, giving the skin a bluish hue.
Acrocythanosis may be primary, considered benign and not associated with any disease or requiring treatment, or secondary, which may be a sign of a more serious disease.
- Acrocythanosis usually affects women over the age of 20 and worsens with cold and emotional tension.
- The skin on your fingers or toes turns cold and bluish.
- Sweats easily and can swell.
- But this disease is not painful or damages the skin.
Acrocythocnosis usually occurs at temperatures below 18oC and the skin turns bluish due to low oxygen levels in the blood.
Acrocythanosis can be primary or secondary. Primary acrotianosis is considered benign, is not associated with any disease and generally does not require treatment, while secondary acrocythonosis can be caused by a disease, in which case it is considered serious and treatment involves diagnosing the disease that causes acrocythasis and treating it.
Some of the diseases that can cause acrocianoosis include hypoxia, lung and cardiovascular disease, connective tissue problems, anorexia nervosa, cancer, blood problems, certain medications, hormonal changes, infections such as HIV, mononucleosis, for example.
In newborns, the skin on the hands and feet may have a bluish tint that disappears in a few hours and can only reappear when the baby is cold, crying, or breastfeeding.
This coloration is due to an increase in the stiffness of peripheral arterioles, leading to oxygen-poor blood congestion, responsible for bluish color. In these cases, neonatal acrocythocnosis is physiological, improved with heating and has no pathological significance.
Generally for primary acrocyanosis, treatment is not necessary, but your doctor may recommend that the person avoid exposure to cold and may also prescribe medications that block calcium channels, which dilate the arteries, such as amlodipine, feudipine or nicardipine, for example, but it has been observed to be an ineffective measure to reduce cianosis.
In cases of acrocianosis secondary to other diseases, your doctor should try to understand whether the color indicates a severe clinical picture and, in these cases, treatment should focus on the disease that may be causing acrocythocnosis.