Determination of fingertip lacticemy before and after cold stimulus in patients with primary Raynaud's phenomenon and systemic sclerosis.
OBJECTIVE
Establishing a cold stimulus test based on the measurement of finger tip lacticemy (FTL) in Raynaud's phenomenon (RP).


METHODS
Twenty-seven controls and 79 patients with RP [30 systemic sclerosis (SSc) and 49 isolated RP] were studied. The latter were further classified into probable primary RP (PPRP) and probable secondary RP (PSRP). FTL was determined before (pre-CS) and after (post-CS) a cold stimulus and the percentage difference was designated ACS-FTL.


RESULTS
Pre-CS-FTL was marginally higher in SSc patients than in isolated RP and controls. Post-CS-FFL was significantly higher in SSc and PSRP than in PPRP and controls. SSc and PSRP patients had higher post-CS-FTL than pre-CS-FTL (positive ACS-FTL) while controls presented a negative ACS-FTL. Post-CS-FTL had a heterogeneous behavior in patients with PPRP.


CONCLUSIONS
CS-FTL test was shown to be an easy method for evaluation of fingertip effective perfusion before and after a cold stimulus. Further studies are warranted to test its possible clinical application in discriminating between patients with SSc and controls, as well as between patients with PPRP and PSRP.
Mario L C
ML
Pucinelli
Sheila
S
Fontenelle
Luís E C
LE
Andrade
D000328:Adult; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003080:Cold Temperature; D005260:Female; D005385:Fingers / Q000098:blood supply*; D006801:Humans; D019344:Lactic Acid / Q000378:metabolism*; D017078:Laser-Doppler Flowmetry; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011336:Probability; D011928:Raynaud Disease / Q000175:diagnosis*; D012016:Reference Values; D012595:Scleroderma, Systemic / Q000175:diagnosis*; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D012881:Skin Temperature / Q000502:physiology*; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric
D019344:Lactic Acid