New approaches to Raynaud's phenomenon [corrected].

Dysfunction of vascular tone control is mainly caused by the derangement of endothelium and of the peripheral nervous system. Studies have suggested changes in the nervous system at either the peripheral level (loss of sensory motor nerves, increased alpha 2-receptor activity, and so on) or the central level (impaired thermoregulation), always linked to the profound abnormality of endothelial function. This dual involvement consistently affects the blood flow, which can be measured with several tools (laser Doppler velocimetry, digital blood pressure response, and so on). Studies have analyzed serologic and instrumental predictors of a possible development of a connective tissue disease in Raynaud's phenomenon. A new wave of studies addressed the role of reperfusion injury and oxygen radicals in provoking chromosomal breakage and generating an immune response through fragmentation of autoantigens in the presence of metals. Antioxidants have been proposed as efficacious treatment of Raynaud's phenomenon. The continued study of regeneration of vessels (therapeutic angiogenesis) may open a new avenue for the treatment of Raynaud's phenomenon and the loss of angiogenesis as in diffuse scleroderma.