Can’t stand the heat? Can’t stand the cold? Just imagine having to cope with these two conflicting conditions. Pictured below is the foot of someone with erythromelalgia.
The etiology of Raynaud’s Syndrome and erythromelalgia seem to be closely related and some patients will have both. While it is not that uncommon for a patient to have both conditions, it is rather rare to see both conditions flare at the same time.
EM results from a maldistribution of blood flow with some areas not getting enough blood and calling for more. The extra blood gets through other open vessels, including arteriovenous anastomosis, that is, the connection between the arterial and venous systems. This vicious cycle continues to worsen until the overall appearance of the skin is of too much blood flow. Vasodilating drugs sometimes work to open the shut vessels. When that happens, the vessels stop calling for more blood and the overall system may normalize or at least improve its function.
Even mild erythromelalgia can greatly affect normal functioning and quality of life. Patients avoid warm weather and limit their activities to cool or air conditioned locations. Some move to cooler climates, many patients cannot wear socks or closed shoes even in winter. When patients are severely affected, they can be house bound because of the continually painful symptoms. Elevation of the affected limbs becomes necessary and normal life is disrupted. Several cases of bed confinement due to unrelenting EM symptoms are known.
It is very possible to have EM flaring on the face, the ears or nose, torso, or on other body parts in symmetrical or asymmetrical patterns. There have been rare reports of EM symptoms affecting internal organs as well.
This information has been taken from an article on the Internet by Dr Jay Cohen MD, Chairman of The Erythromelalgia Association’s (TEA) Medical Advisory Committee in the USA. Their website can be found at www.erythromelalgia.org
To download a leaflet on Erythromelalgia click here.
To view article called 'Living with Erythromelalgia' click here
Friday, 24 May 2013
