Table of contents:
- The reason for the cold feet you feel
- The disease is often characterized by cold feet
- 1. Raynaud's disease
- 2. Anemia
- 3. Frostbite
- 4. Peripheral artery disease
- 5. Hyperhidrosis
- 6. Diabetic nerve damage
- 7. Other nerve damage
Have you ever felt cold feet? Basically feet can get cold for many reasons. Usually it is an environmental influence or a time when you are feeling anxious. However, if you often experience chills in the legs for no apparent reason, then this may be an indication of some disease.
The reason for the cold feet you feel
Generally cold feet are caused by cold environmental factors and the body's response to anxiety. When exposed to cold temperatures, blood vessels in the legs and other areas constrict, causing body parts such as hands, feet and others to feel cold.
In addition, the decrease in blood flow that occurs also causes less oxygen in the peripheral parts of your body, thus making the skin a bluish color, or in medical terms it is called cyanosis.
Well, this condition will worsen when you are in a stationary position or have minimal movement such as sleeping at night, being in an air-conditioned room for too long, or other things that cause the body to be exposed to cold air for a long time. These cold feet are sometimes accompanied by cramps in the lower legs, tingling sensations, and numbness.
Cold in the feet or hands is nothing to worry about. The reason is, this is indeed the body's response to regulating body temperature. But if you often experience chills in the legs for no apparent reason, then this is most likely an indication of some disease.
The disease is often characterized by cold feet
Here are some diseases that make you often experience cold feet:
1. Raynaud's disease
Raynaud's disease is a condition in which the small arteries that carry blood to the skin become narrowed, limiting circulation in areas such as the fingers, toes and ears. This condition occurs due to exposure to cold temperatures or even stress. This disease, which is also called Raynaud's phenomenon, is more common in women and in people who live in cold climates.
People who experience Raynaud's disease, apart from feeling cold in certain body parts, usually will also experience a change in skin color in the affected area. The skin starts off pale white, then blue and then turns red when exposed to warmth.
2. Anemia
Cold feet can be a sign of anemia. Anemia is a condition in which you lack healthy red blood cells to carry oxygen throughout your body. The most common symptoms of anemia are feeling weak and tired, frequent chills in the hands and feet, dizziness, shortness of breath, headache and pale skin.
3. Frostbite
Frostbite or in medical language frostbite is a condition in which part of the body's organs experience freezing and damage due to exposure to excessive cold temperatures. Forstbites generally occur on the hands, feet, cheeks, chin, ears and nose.
The signs and symptoms of frostbite are that you experience cold, prickling skin, a tingling sensation, numbness and, skin redness. If not treated promptly, frostbite can become very serious sores, such as loss of skin, fingers, and feet and even blemishes.
4. Peripheral artery disease
Cold feet can be a symptom of peripheral artery disease, which is a common condition when cholesterol, fat or some other substance builds up on the walls of the arteries. This clotting forms a hard structure called plaque, which causes the artery walls to narrow.
This can restrict the flow of oxygen in the blood to other organs and body parts. Usually, the earliest signs of this symptom are a feeling of discomfort, coldness, pallor, cramps, cold skin, and pain in the affected area.
5. Hyperhidrosis
Excessive sweating or the medical term hyperhidrosis is a condition that occurs when excessive sweating is not triggered by hot environmental temperatures or strenuous physical activity. Hyperhidrosis generally occurs due to increased sympathetic nerve activity which causes narrowing of the arteries and decreased blood flow. So that makes the body experience cold sweat.
6. Diabetic nerve damage
Diabetic peripheral neuropathy is a type of nerve damage that can occur in diabetics who have chronically high blood sugar levels. Symptoms include numbness, tingling, heat, pain and coldness in the feet or hands. Symptoms usually get worse at night.
7. Other nerve damage
In addition to nerve damage from diabetes, you can develop peripheral neuropathy from injury or other medical conditions. The nerve pain that causes cold feet can be an indication of the body due to vitamin deficiency, kidney or liver disease, infection, metabolic problems, or even exposure to some kind of toxin. This condition may also be due to genetic factors.