Durham's Foot

Durham's Foot or cryopedis is a condition that causes one's extremities (mainly feet) to be incessantly well below the temperature of the rest of the body.

Symptoms

Durham's Foot causes one's feet to be cold almost constantly, but is generally only triggered when temperatures are cold outside.^[1] This is directly correlated to the fact that Durham's Foot is simply the lack of the body's ability to warm the extremities. The core of the body is able to stabilize its temperature after being exposed to cold, but is generally unable to do so with the extremities. Often, one might feel a burning pain in the extremities when exposed to lukewarm water. Other symptoms include the sense of coolness to the touch of the affected extremity, but the extremity is unable to feel any sense of warmth. Again, Durham's Foot most commonly affects the feet, however there have been a few reported cases affecting the hands. While Durham's Foot is often linked to circulation problems, it can also be attributed to diabetes.^[2]

Treatment

Only a few cases exist, so the treatments tend to be more towards easing the pain, than actually curing the condition. Doctors often recommend that the extremity be kept wrapped and covered, and to pay close attention to the actual temperature. Often, those with the condition will not realize when a foot is going into Stage 1 Hypothermia, as they simply feel that the temperature is normal (for their condition).

References

1. ^ "Cold Feet". http://www.medicinenet.com/cold_feet/symptoms.htm. 
2. ^ "Type 2 Diabetes: Nervous System Complications". http://www.dlife.com/dLife/do/ShowContent/type2_information/preventing_complications/nervous_system.html. 

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