title: Evaluation of reflex cold provocation by laser Doppler flowmetry in clinically healthy subjects with a history of cold hands.
abstract: The aim of the present study was to investigate capillary blood flow and the reaction to cold provocation by means of laser Doppler flowmetry (LDF) and measurement of skin temperature at the fingertip of 39 healthy subjects who had a history of cold hands and feet but were free of any clinically significant vasospastic symptoms. A group of 39 sex- and age-matched healthy subjects without such complaints served as the control. The anamnestic complaints about cold hands and feet could be substantiated by the presence of a lower baseline skin perfusion and temperature. However, the maintenance of the normal range of reagibility to a reflex contractile stimulus with an unaltered potential to recover distinctly separates these subjects from patients with Raynaud's disease.
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, St. Clara Hospital, Basel, Switzerland.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Gasser
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Müller
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Mauli
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Stäubli
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D001783:Blood Flow Velocity / Q000502:physiology; D002196:Capillaries / Q000502:physiology; D003080:Cold Temperature; D005260:Female; D006225:Hand / Q000098:blood supply*; D006801:Humans; D007834:Lasers; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012016:Reference Values; D012018:Reflex / Q000502:physiology*; D012881:Skin Temperature / Q000502:physiology*; D013997:Time Factors