PD and cold hands: I was diagnosed 4 years... - Cure Parkinson's

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PD and cold hands

ppvanruit profile image
30 Replies

I was diagnosed 4 years ago and doing very well. Lately I have cold hands. Could that be PD related?

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ppvanruit profile image
ppvanruit
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30 Replies
rideabike profile image
rideabike

I have one cold hand that is often like ice. Wondered the same thing. My inner thermometer appears to be broken so I'm also sensitive to temperature changes....sweater on...sweater off....all day long.

aspergerian profile image
aspergerian in reply torideabike

Also:

Thoracic outlet syndrome - Symptoms and causes - Mayo Clinic - Cold fingers, hands or arms.

mayoclinic.org/diseases-con...

aspergerian profile image
aspergerian in reply toaspergerian

Indubitably pleasant:

Thoracic Outlet Syndrome (TOS) | Cleveland Clinic.

my.clevelandclinic.org/heal...

rideabike profile image
rideabike in reply toaspergerian

Thanks....I did read up on that. Interesting how many things can go wrong at once. Ha! Have a great day!!

Hikoi profile image
Hikoi in reply torideabike

Ditto rideabike

It is autonomic dysfunction in pd.

rideabike profile image
rideabike in reply toHikoi

Thanks for that reply. Didn't think of it.

ppvanruit profile image
ppvanruit in reply toHikoi

That is interesting! So moving your neck and arms too much - I do the boxing exercises of neurofitbc- can cause damage to nerves leading to my hands. Should I tone it down?

Hikoi profile image
Hikoi in reply toppvanruit

No your exercse is not connected to your cold hands. See this link

epda.eu.com/about-parkinson...

Autonomic dysfunction in PD is causing your cold hand (s).

If it were thoracic outlet syndrome i believe you would have had some trauma and you would be experiencing pain. Neither you have mentioned.

aspergerian profile image
aspergerian

Pathology in my cervical spine affects my PD.

Cold intolerance after brachial plexus nerve injury

ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articl...

Smokeypurple profile image
Smokeypurple

Do you have PD on both sides? My left hand was cold all winter the year before I was diagnosed. It was simply because I wasn't moving it as much as the other one. But not enough that I noticed. I currently only have motor symptoms on the left hand side.

aspergerian profile image
aspergerian in reply toSmokeypurple

My first presentation at local ER was bilateral. Weeks later I would learn that my symptoms that night and my verbal description to ambulance EMTs and to ER nurses and physicians were consistent with "coat hanger syndrome.

I've had bilateral "cold hands" since at least age 11.

Decades later I have realized the likely cause. At a family gathering, when I was -6 years old, some of us smaller kids were plaing under the deck of a back porch of a relatives' home. A somewhat older kid grabbed me with a very tight headlock. After what seemed like a long time, my cousin - bigger and stronger than the headlock bully - said to bully, Stop it. That's enough. I remember walking away a liilte dazed and wondering why the prolonged headlock? My neck was sore for hours.

That incident may have had long term effects (adverse!). From junior high onwards - high school, college, military... - my arms etc did not develop muscles. I tried weights and many etc.

Some 69 years later, I realize that the headlock incident probably injured my cervical spine....

aspergerian profile image
aspergerian in reply toaspergerian

Cervical spine. Injory to disk(s), vertebrae, veins, arteries, brachial plexus? Recent MRI found pathology, date unknown. Injury in C5 and vicinity can cause permanent muscle weakness (and cold hands).

aspergerian profile image
aspergerian in reply toaspergerian

Eg:

Muscle weakness, paralysis, and atrophy after human cervical spinal cord injury. - 1997.

ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/941...

aspergerian profile image
aspergerian

Also enjoy:

49 cite Bonaz 2018: The vagus nerve in the neuro-immune axis: implications in the pathology of the gastrointestinal tract.

scholar.google.com/scholar?...

aspergerian profile image
aspergerian in reply toaspergerian

Pmc: Vagus Nerve as Modulator of the Brain–Gut Axis in Psychiatric and Inflammatory Disorders. 2018.

ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articl...

Milesman39 profile image
Milesman39

The arterial system has smooth muscle tissue in its walls so it’s regulated by the nervous system (Relaxing and contracting to aid blood flow). That could be the effect of PD on the nervous system.

Tribselyov profile image
Tribselyov

It is alleged that king David good could not keep warm In his last days of Parkinson’s disease. His entourage provided warm blankets but he could not get warm. They brought in a young virgin to “lie in his bosom.” However Medicare does not pay for the service. See first Kings chapter 1 in the holy Scriptures. For more information, Google king David, Parkinson’s

Dpeachey profile image
Dpeachey

Before PD I was always warmer than my wife- now I’m the cold one. I was a logger in northern Canada in my younger days and as long as my torso was warm I could pull wrenches even in -50• weather without gloves. Now just sitting around at slightly cool indoor temperatures my hands and feet get very cold. I’m sure it’s PD related, as the effect is somewhat worse on my right side, where all the symptoms are most noticeable.

PD has a lot of far reaching effects, and I just thank God it’s been progressing quite slowly in my case. Symptoms were first noticeable 11 years ago, dx 6 years ago, and in a lot of ways I’m better off than when I was first dx. Other ways not so good, but overall, it’s been an interesting ride!

ppvanruit profile image
ppvanruit

Thank you!

I can relate to that. My wife was always cold and now I use a heating pad at night for my feet. My hands are annoyingly cold during the day behind my desk. Any recommendations ?

chartist profile image
chartist

Possibly low on iron as a possible reason for cold hands. There are many possible reasons for cold hands such as poor circulation or diabetes. Nerve issues can be another cause.

Art

Hikoi profile image
Hikoi in reply tochartist

Yes but Art most likely cause is autonomic dysfunction in PD.

aspergerian profile image
aspergerian in reply toHikoi

Hikoi,

You've been mentioning Autonomic irregularities in PD for a long time. Academic researchers and loners such as I are finally on board.

An important review:

Autonomic dysfunction in Parkinson’s disease: Implications for pathophysiology, diagnosis, and treatment.

sciencedirect.com/science/a...

Hikoi profile image
Hikoi in reply toaspergerian

Aspergerian, glad you are on board now! Very useful reference, thankyou. It shows just how pervasive pd is.

Personally I work on the assumption that everything is caused by or connected to pd unless proved otherwise

ppvanruit profile image
ppvanruit in reply toaspergerian

Thank you for your input! That is tremendously helpful

chartist profile image
chartist in reply toHikoi

Hikoi,

You are correct. My comment was on the outside chance that it could be an easy fix such as low iron.

Art

pvw2 profile image
pvw2

Low blood pressure can cause cold hands. High blood pressure medicine that expands the capillaries (normally a reaction to being hot) will cause one to get cold quicker in response to temperature. A person not taking blood pressure medication will have higher blood pressure in response to cold and lower blood pressure in response to hot.

aspergerian profile image
aspergerian in reply topvw2

The Pharmacology of Autonomic Failure: From Hypotension to Hypertension.

ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articl...

gwendolinej profile image
gwendolinej

My husband has cold hands and they are often blue. He got chillblains on his ears, so obviously extremities were all cold. He has never felt the cold and still doesn't, even if he has cold hands. It doesn't seem to be as bad now as it was. It could be because the house we are in now is warmer, or because he doesn't go outside as much as he did, which in itself is not a good thing.

Rosenmu profile image
Rosenmu

I read somewhere that cold extremities can be an early precursor to PD, I for one fall into ok that category, always cold feet and hands. I'm fine now, maybe it's the PD therapy I'm on. Sounds like this is not the case for everyone to be cold.

Hikoi profile image
Hikoi

Yes it is highly likely your cold hands are caused by PD

“Parkinson’s disease (PD) is frequently associated with vasomotor symptoms such as distal cold limbs or sensitivity to cold, estimated to occur in 40-50% of patients. Coldness of the lower limbs (COL) usually occurs in winter ....... A standard dopaminergic treatment for such symptoms is yet to be established. “

ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articl...

Patients with Parkinson disease (PD) can be affected by dysregulation of body temperature, .....thermoregulatory dysfunction in PD gradually worsen with time as the disease progresses.

oxfordmedicine.com/view/10....

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