title: Familial aggregation of primary Raynaud's disease.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine the occurrence of familial aggregation of primary Raynaud's disease.
  
  
  METHODS
  Twenty-three patients with primary Raynaud's disease and their first-degree relatives were assessed by questionnaire and, when possible, by physical examination. The same procedures were performed on the patients' spouses and the spouses' first-degree relatives, who served as the control group.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The prevalence of Raynaud's disease was significantly higher in the families of the probands than in the control families when assessed by questionnaire (26.1% versus 5.5%; P < 10(-5)), and by physical examination (11.2% versus 2.8%; P = 0.015).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These findings demonstrate that there is significant familial aggregation of primary Raynaud's disease.
authors.affiliation: Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, Michigan, USA.
authors.forename: R R
authors.initials: RR
authors.lastname: Freedman
authors.forename: M D
authors.initials: MD
authors.lastname: Mayes
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D005192:Family Health; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015995:Prevalence; D011928:Raynaud Disease / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000235:genetics*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires