Cold Hands

Cold hands can occur with other symptoms, which vary depending on the underlying disease, disorder or condition. Symptoms that may occur with cold hands include:

• Blisters or ulcers on the hands or feet

• Blurred vision, excessive hunger and thirst, frequent urination, fatigue, or weight loss due to diabetes

• Hard and pale skin on the hands

• Pain, throbbing, burning, tingling or numbness in the hands, fingers, legs, ankles, toes, nose, lips, earlobes or feet

• Weight gain, fatigue, depression, joint or muscle pain, or heavier menstrual periods due to hypothyroidism

In some cases, cold hands may occur with other symptoms and certain combinations of symptoms that might indicate a serious or life-threatening condition that should be immediately evaluated in an emergency setting. Seek immediate medical care (call 911) if you, or someone you are with, have cold hands with any of the following symptoms:

• Confusion or change in alertness or level of consciousness

• Difficulty breathing

• Pale, grey or bluish (cyanotic) coloring of the fingers, toes, nose, lips or earlobes

Cold hands are caused by a variety of diseases, disorders and conditions that include:

• Anemia (decreased number of red blood cells)

• Atherosclerosis

• Buerger’s disease (also known as thromboangiitis obliterans, which is acute inflammation and obstruction of blood vessels in the fingers and toes – more common in smokers)

• Diabetes (chronic disease that affects your body’s ability to use sugar for energy)

• Frostbite

• Hypoplastic left heart syndrome (congenital heart defect that reduces blood flow to the body)

• Hypothyroidism (underactive thyroid)

• Limited systemic sclerosis

• Medications such as Metoprolol (Lopressor, Toprol), which is used to treat high blood pressure and heart failure

• Raynaud’s phenomenon (episodes of blood vessel constriction in the fingers and toes triggered by cold temperatures or stress)

To diagnose the underlying cause of cold hands, your doctor or licensed health care provider will ask you questions about your symptoms. You can best help your health care provider in diagnosing the underlying cause of cold hands by providing complete answers to these questions:

• Are you in pain?

• Have you been exposed to cold temperatures recently?

• How long have you had cold hands?

• What medications are you taking?

• What other symptoms do you have?

Cold hands can be caused by a serious underlying disease, disorder or condition such as diabetes, Raynaud’s phenomenon, frostbite, or hypothyroidism. Complications of these untreated or poorly managed diseases, disorders or conditions can be serious and even life threatening. Follow the treatment plan you and your health care professional design specifically for you to reduce your risk of complications including:

• Birth defects and miscarriage

• Cardiovascular disease

• Diabetes-related, life-threatening emergency conditions, including diabetic ketoacidosis, hyperosmolar hyperglycemic nonketotic syndrome (HHNS), and hypoglycemia

• Diabetic retinopathy, cataracts and blindness

• Hypothyroidism-related myxedema coma

• Infertility

• Kidney damage and kidney failure

• Serious infections of skin tissues, gangrene (tissue death), and amputation

• Stroke