Chilblains (/ˈtʃɪlbleɪnz/) — also known as pernio and perniosis[1] — is a medical condition that occurs when a predisposed individual is exposed to cold and humidity, causing tissue damage. It is often confused with frostbite and trench foot. Damage to capillary beds in the skin causes redness, itching, inflammation, and sometimes blisters.[2] Chilblains can be reduced by keeping the feet and hands warm in cold weather, and avoiding extreme temperature changes. Chilblains can be idiopathic (spontaneous and unrelated to another disease), but may also be a manifestation of another serious medical condition that needs to be investigated. A history of chilblains is suggestive of a connective tissue disease (such as lupus). Chilblains in infants, together with severe neurologic disease and unexplained fevers, can be seen in Aicardi–Goutières syndrome, a rare inherited condition.
Nifedipine, a vasodilator, may be used in more severe or recurrent cases.[5]Vasodilation helps reduce pain, facilitate healing and prevent recurrences.[6] It is typically available in an oral pill but can be compounded into a topical formula.
^James, William D.; Berger, Timothy G.; et al. (2006). Andrews' Diseases of the Skin: clinical Dermatology. Saunders Elsevier. ISBN0-7216-2921-0.[page needed]
^Cold Stress: Chilblains. National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. Retrieved January 6, 2009.
^Rustin, M.H.A.; Newton, Julia A.; Smith, N.P.; Dowd, Pauline M. (2006). "The treatment of chilblains with nifedipine: the results of a pilot study, a double-blind placebo-controlled randomized study and a long-term open trial". British Journal of Dermatology120 (2): 267–75. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2133.1989.tb07792.x. PMID2647123.
^Robert Lacey and Danny Danziger August:The Year 1000: What Life Was Like at the Turn of the First Millennium Little, Brown, 2000 ISBN 0316511579[page needed]
