BBC Morning Live’s Dr Punam Krishan has warned that a common problem could make a health condition suffered by millions of people even worse.
The star, who took part in Strictly Come Dancing this year, says around 10 million people across the United Kingdom are living with Raynaud’s. The condition affects the blood flow to the extremities, leading to whitening, pain, numbness, and pins and needles.
It traditionally affects people during the winter months, with “one or two people a week” presenting with the condition at Dr Punam’s Scotland surgery.
And while the colder weather is one thing that affects Raynaud’s, Dr Punam says stress is another factor that leads to flare ups.
She is now partnering with Scleroderma and Raynaud’s UK (SRUK) to urge the public to assess themselves for signs of Raynaud’s, reports Surrey Live.
Speaking to Express.co.uk, Dr Punam said: “I got involved because autoimmune conditions, Raynaud’s for example, is a condition that I treat quite commonly at the GP practice but I also have someone who is very close to me in my family that is affected by it.
“I have seen first hand the impact a condition like Raynaud’s can have on the quality of life for my patients and my loved ones. So when I heard about the campaign they were running, it was a no-brainer.”
Dr Punam has highlighted that many individuals may be unaware they have Raynaud’s, a condition that can significantly impact daily life during the colder months.
She remarked: “From now until February time, I will see one to two patients a week, which might not sound like a lot but it does all add up. People that require medication on an annual basis and need to take precautions or measures to get through the colder months.”
Stress, she notes, is a lesser-known trigger of Raynaud’s that can affect people’s quality of life. The condition can lead to low moods and reluctance to socialise in winter, with symptoms that can be “extremely painful”.
SRUK has launched a 60-second online test allowing individuals to assess their risk for Raynaud’s and other autoimmune conditions such as Lupus or scleroderma.
Dr Punam advises those with Raynaud’s to make simple lifestyle changes, including stress management and avoiding triggers. She emphasized: “Smoking is particularly a red flag when it comes to Raynaud’s and because the condition is a constriction of your blood vessels, smoking can increase that, so we’re offering smoking cessation support.”
Dr Punam explained that while the majority of those with Raynaud’s experience it as a singular issue, some individuals may suffer from scleroderma, a condition leading to hardening and muscle thickening, with potential effects on other organs.
Emphasising the significance of awareness, she stated: “Raising awareness of that is important because we can diagnose those conditions and hopefully help support that before it becomes more serious.”
In response, SRUK is preparing to introduce the Symptom Tracking App for Raynaud’s (STAR) to aid people in managing their symptoms and to deepen understanding about the condition.
Sue Farrington, Chief Executive at SRUK, emphasised the need for information, asserting: “There is so much we don’t know about debilitating auto-immune conditions like scleroderma and lupus, but we do know that many of the answers, the keys to unlocking breakthroughs in diagnosis and treatment, could start with the millions of people who have Raynaud’s. That’s why we are calling on as many people as possible who think they might have Raynaud’s, to take our simple test and be part of the answer.”