What causes cold hands and feet?
Cold hands and feet can be caused by various factors such as cold hypersensitivity, frostbite, cold urticaria, and disrupted thermoregulatory skin temperature gradients due to sleep deprivation. Cold hypersensitivity in the hands and feet is a common symptom, often treated in Korean medicine clinics . Frostbite, predominantly affecting individuals in cold climates, can lead to tissue damage and necrosis, often requiring amputation for severe cases . Cold urticaria, triggered by exposure to cold objects or air, can cause swelling and itching in response to cold stimuli . Additionally, sleep deprivation can disrupt the coordination of skin temperature gradients, leading to attenuated heat loss from the hands and enhanced heat loss from the feet, contributing to cold extremities .
Answers from top 5 papers
Papers (5) | Insight |
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31 Citations | Sleep deprivation disrupts thermoregulation, causing cold hands and warm feet due to altered heat loss patterns. This is linked to vigilance impairment. |
Cold hands and feet can be caused by frostbite, a freezing injury due to cold exposure leading to decreased blood flow, vasoconstriction, and localized ischemia, as discussed in the paper. | |
1 Citations | Cold hands and feet can be caused by cold urticaria, a rare form of physical urticaria triggered by exposure to cold, leading to swelling, erythema, and pruritus. |
27 Feb 2015 | Vasoconstriction upon cold exposure leads to decreased hand and foot temperature, impairing tactile sensitivity and manual dexterity while increasing pain and sympathetic drive. |
4 Citations | Constitution or genetic factors, emotional stress, and lack of activity are reported as major causes of cold hypersensitivity in the hands and feet according to experts' survey. |