Cold hands Causes

Causes

By Mayo Clinic Staff

Cold hands may be caused by simply being in a cold room or other chilly environment. Cold hands are often a sign that your body is trying to maintain its regular body temperature.

Always having cold hands, however, could mean there’s a problem with your blood flow or the blood vessels in your hands.

Causes of cold hands include:

1. Anemia — a condition in which the body doesn’t get oxygen due to a lack of healthy red blood cells.
2. Buerger disease
3. Diabetes
4. Frostbite
5. Lupus
6. Raynaud’s disease
7. Scleroderma

Causes shown here are commonly associated with this symptom. Work with your doctor or other health care professional for an accurate diagnosis.

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1. Raynaud’s. National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health-topics/raynauds. Accessed Jan. 21, 2021.
2. Buerger disease. Genetics and Rare Diseases Information Center. https://rarediseases.info.nih.gov/diseases/5969/buerger-disease. Accessed Jan. 21, 2021.
3. Wallace DJ, et al. Overview of the clinical manifestations of systemic lupus erythematosus in adults. https://www.uptodate.com/contents/search. Accessed Jan. 21, 2021.
4. Prevent hypothermia and frostbite. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. https://www.cdc.gov/disasters/winter/staysafe/hypothermia.html. Accessed Jan. 21, 2021.
5. Anemia. National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health-topics/anemia. Accessed Jan. 21, 2021.
6. Peripheral neuropathy. American Diabetes Association. https://www.diabetes.org/diabetes/complications/neuropathy/peripheral-neuropathy. Accessed Jan. 21, 2021.
7. Scleroderma. National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases. http://www.niams.nih.gov/Health_Info/Scleroderma/default.asp. Accessed Jan. 21, 2021.
8. Varga J. Clinical manifestations and diagnosis of systemic sclerosis (scleroderma) in adults. https://www.uptodate.com/contents/search. Accessed Jan. 21, 2021.