A condition where blood vessels in the fingers and toes narrow excessively in response to cold or stress, with no underlying disease.
Medical records that document the pattern of your attacks are central to any evaluation. Records showing color changes of the digits triggered by cold exposure or emotional stress, along with any associated pain or paresthesias, help establish that you have characteristic attacks as defined by the rating schedule.
To support a 10% rating, evidence of trophic changes is needed. This can come from physical examination findings noted by a physician, such as skin thinning, atrophy, fissuring, ulceration, scarring, loss of hair on the digits, or nail deformities like clubbing. Photographs taken at medical appointments and dermatology or vascular specialist records documenting these findings can also be useful.
Your own statements, and statements from people who have observed your symptoms, can describe how often attacks occur, what brings them on, and how the skin or nails on your hands or feet appear. Statements about how symptoms affect daily activities — such as difficulty working outdoors or in cold environments — reflect the real-world impact of your condition and correspond to the criteria in the rating schedule.
Conditions that are often caused or made worse by this one. If you have any of these, they may be claimable as secondary service connection.
