Digital vasodilatation during mental stress in patients with Raynaud's disease

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Abstract
Fingertip blood flow was measured by venous occlusion plethysmography before and during a stressful mental task consisting of rapid serial arithmetic calculations in a 25°C room. Significant rises in heart rate and blood pressure indicated that stress was actually induced in all individuals. During mental stress in normal subjects, blood flow decreased (46.4±6.2 to 22.4±4.9 ml·min−1 per 100 ml tissue; P<0.01) and vascular resistance increased (2.1 ±0.4 to 7.6±2.2 units; P0.10). The digital vasodilatation which occurs during mental stress in patients with Raynaud's disease was not altered by pretreatment with oral indomethacin, with intra-arterial propranolol or atropine, or by digital nerve block. These findings suggest the existence of an active digital vasodilatory mechanism in patients with Raynaud's disease.