title: Prevalence of Raynaud's phenomenon in healthy Turkish medical students and hospital personnel.
abstract: In this study, we investigated the frequency of Raynaud's phenomenon (RP) in medical students and hospital personnel and determined associated factors. Students and hospital personnel of our medical faculty (1,414 subjects; 838 females, 576 males, mean age, 27.2+/-6.6) were questioned for symptoms associated with RP, and the presence of smoking and headache. 530 subjects (37.5%) defined color changes on cold exposure. 51 subjects (3.6%) had biphasic or triphasic color changes (definite RP). The prevalence of definite RP in females (4.8%) was significantly higher than in males (1.9%) (P=0.005). The frequency of smoking subjects (45.1 vs. 28.8%) was significantly higher in patients with RP (P=0.009). There was numbness and/or paresthesia in 174 subjects (12.3%) who defined uniphasic color change on cold exposure (possible RP). Female sex and being a smoker were factors associated with RP in our study.
authors.affiliation: Department of Rheumatology, Trakya University Medical Faculty, 22030, Edirne, Turkey.
authors.forename: Necati
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Cakir
authors.forename: Omer Nuri
authors.initials: ON
authors.lastname: Pamuk
authors.forename: Salim
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Dönmez
authors.forename: Ahmet
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Barutçu
authors.forename: Hidayet
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Diril
authors.forename: Esin
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Odabaş
authors.forename: Volkan
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Kiliçcigil
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006785:Hospitals, University; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008505:Medical Staff, Hospital; D015995:Prevalence; D011928:Raynaud Disease / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D012907:Smoking / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D013337:Students, Medical; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014421:Turkey / Q000453:epidemiology