“It’s basically an overreaction to the cold,” says Dr. Annaliese Tisseverasinghe, a rheumatologist, clinician researcher and assistant professor of medicine at the University of Manitoba.

“It’s the body’s way of protecting the heart and the brain and other important internal organs by shutting off blood supply to the peripheries.”

Named after Maurice Raynaud — a French physician who first described the phenomenon in 1862 — the condition affects more women than men by a four-to-one ratio. Despite some data suggesting Raynaud’s may impact 20 per cent of the female population, the root cause of the disorder remains unclear and few targeted treatment options exist.

To read the entire story, please follow the link to the Winnipeg Free Press.