DETROIT, Aug. 30 /PRNewswire/ -- The tingling and pain associated with Raynaud's syndrome (the condition that causes interrupted blood supply to the fingers and toes) can be blocked by increasing the concentration of nitric oxide in the blood. This finding is reported by Wayne State University's Dr. Robert Freedman in the August 28 issue of The Lancet.

  Robert Freedman, PhD, professor of psychiatry and behavioral neurosciences at the Wayne State University (WSU) School of Medicine, tested his suspicion that the nitric oxide (NO) pathway was involved in Raynaud's attacks suffered by patients with scleroderma. Scleroderma, a disease of the immune system, causes the skin on the hands and feet to "harden" or become tight and stiff due to an overgrowth of collagen. Most patients with scleroderma also experience episodes of Raynaud's, which temporarily stops circulation and causes severe redness, burning, and possible permanent tissue damage.

  After studying 15 people with scleroderma, Dr. Freedman's research team confirmed that Raynaud's episodes could be blocked (when physiologically provoked in a laboratory setting) by administering L-arginine or sodium nitroprusside, both of which are involved in NO production. "These findings suggest that elevated levels of nitric oxide may have therapeutic value against episodes of Raynaud's," said Dr. Freedman.

  Co-authors on the study are Dr. Reda Girgis, assistant professor of internal medicine, and Dr. Maureen Mayes, WSU professor and director of the Scleroderma Research and Treatment Unit. This research team has been conducting nationally-funded research on Raynaud's disease for decades. In the early 1990s, they developed a procedure that helps Raynaud's sufferers use biofeedback to reduce the frequency of painful symptoms by as much as 92 percent.

  "In the past, there was no drug available to target the peripheral blood vessels involved in Raynaud's," said Dr. Freedman. "We have long suspected that the vascular endothelial function was impaired; but it wasn't until recently that we introduced nitric oxide as an intervening agent. Now, we can offer NO as a therapeutic benefit for patients who suffer from progressive Raynaud's syndrome."

  Patients are currently being recruited for related research studies. For more information, please call Wayne State University's behavioral medicine laboratory at 313-577-7510 or 313-577-0313.

  The Wayne State University School of Medicine is Detroit's only medical school and it is the largest single-campus medical school in the country.

  SOURCE Wayne State University - School of Medicine

  CO: Wayne State University - School of Medicine

  ST: Michigan

  IN: MTC EDU

  SU:

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