Chilblains
Revision as of 06:22, 3 December 2013 by Rossdonaldson1 (talk | contribs) (Created page with "===Background=== *Mild but uncomfortable inflammatory lesions of skin **Caused by long-term intermittent exposure to damp, nonfreezing ambient temperatures *Primarily a diseas...")
Background
- Mild but uncomfortable inflammatory lesions of skin
- Caused by long-term intermittent exposure to damp, nonfreezing ambient temperatures
- Primarily a disease of women and children
Clinical Features
- Hands, ears, lower legs, feet most commonly affected
- Symptoms
- Tingling, numbness, pruritus, burning paresthesias
- Cutaneous manifestations appear up to 12hr after acute exposure:
- Localized edema, erythema, cyanosis, plaques, nodules
- May progress in rare cases to ulcerations, vesicles, and bullae
- Rewarming may result in formation of tender blue nodules which may persist for days
Treatment
- Affected skin should be rewarmed, gently bandaged, and elevated
- Nifedipine 20mg PO TID may be helpful as both prophylactic and therapeutic tx
- Topical corticosteroids and oral steroid burst have been shown to be useful