Diseases & Conditions

Numb fingers? Icy toes? It may be Raynauds.

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Raynaud's phenomenon—an extreme reaction to cold—can be annoying, or it may signal a serious chronic condition.

If you live in the northern latitudes, you may have already had an episode in which your fingers froze or your nose, toes, or earlobes grew cold, pale, and numb. And if you're a southerner, you might have neighbors who migrated to avoid such episodes. While some people with chilly fingers just have cold sensitivity, others—especially women—may have Raynaud's phenomenon.

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