Cold Fingers

Q:  I'd be happy to know what causes my fingers to remain cold and stiffer as times goes on. I'm 90 years old and must hold a hot cup of coffee or tea at breakfast with both hands in order to warm them up. My hands only seem to warm up at night time when I am in bed and covered up with blankets. It is sure getting awkward to write and I find myself dropping things lately. Pain pills do not help this situation. I have had cold fingers for over a year now; they are even cold in the summer time. My present doctor never answers me when I ask or tell him about my cold fingers, so thank you for some kind of answer.

A:  There may be several reasons why your fingers are so cold. At 90 years of age, the vessels that carry your blood are probably narrower and stiffer so the circulation to the hands and feet may not be very strong. In older people the skin becomes thinner and doesn't retain heat as well. Even if you're overweight, most people don't have fat on their fingers for padding! If you're having pain from arthritis, pain can give the blood vessels spasm and shut them down even tighter. There is also a disease called Raynaud's disease in which the fingers turn white, red, and blue from cold. It usually starts around 20 to 40 years of age, so I don't think that's what you're dealing with now.

I don't think medicine is the answer for you--too much of a risk for side-effects. Probably the safest thing for you to do is to wear gloves around the house. The warmth should help the pain and stiffness a little bit too.

"Dear Doctor" is a compilation of patient questions answered by doctors from the Medical College of Wisconsin.