Symptoms of Raynaud’s Phenomenon in an Inner-City African-American Community: Prevalence and Self-Reported Cardiovascular Comorbidity

The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence of symptoms and the morbidity associated with Raynaud’s phenomenon (RP) among African Americans. A total of 2196 randomly selected residents of an inner-city community, in Baltimore, completed a health-assessment survey. Symptoms of RP consisted of cold sensitivity plus cold-induced white or blue digital color change. One third ( n = 703) reported cold sensitivity and 14% ( n = 308) reported digital color change; 84 residents with symptoms of RP were identified, yielding an overall prevalence rate of 3.8% (95% confidence interval [CI] 3.0–4.6). RP was associated with poor or fair health status (odds ratio [OR] = 1.82, CI 1.18–2.81), heart disease (OR = 2.32, CI 1.39–3.87), and stroke (OR = 2.20, CI 1.17–4.15), after adjustment for age, gender, and physician-diagnosed arthritis. The prevalence of symptoms of RP in this African-American community is comparable to published reports from other populations. These community-based data suggest that identification of RP among African Americans should raise consideration of possible comorbidity, particularly cardiovascular disease.