Prevalence of Cold Sensitivity in Patients with Hand Pathology

Abstract

Background

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of cold sensitivity in patients with hand- and wrist-related diagnoses.

Methods

We included English-speaking adults who were more than 1 month following hand injury or onset of symptoms. Patients were asked if exposure to cold air or water provoked cold-related symptoms and to rank symptom severity (scale 0–10). Statistical analyses evaluated the relationships between the cold sensitivity and independent variables (age, gender, history of trauma, and time from injury/symptoms).

Results

There were 197 patients (mean age 49± 16 years): 98 trauma and 99 non-trauma cases. Cold-induced symptoms were reported by 34 %, with 10 % reporting severe symptoms. Exposure to cold air is the most common catalyst; mean severity score was 6.7±2.2. Those with traumatic injuries compared to non-trauma diagnoses reported significantly more cold-induced symptoms (p=.04). Using backward linear regression, the significant predictors of cold symptom severity were trauma (p=.004) and time since onset (p=.003). Including only the trauma patients in the regression model, the significant predictor was time since injury (p=.005).

Conclusions

Cold-induced symptoms are reported by more than 30 % of hand-related diagnoses, and exposure to cold air was the most commonly reported trigger. The significant predictors of cold-induced symptoms are traumatic injuries and longer time from injury. This study provides evidence of the common problem of cold sensitivity in patients with hand pathology.

Level of Evidence: Prognostic Level II