The effects of stress, anxiety, and outdoor temperature on the frequency and severity of Raynaud's attacks: The Raynaud's Treatment Study

It was expected that stress and anxiety would be related to Raynaud's pheno menon (RP) attack characteristics what mild outdoor temperatures produced p artial or no digital vasoconstriction. Hypotheses were that in warmer tempe rature categories, compared to those below 40 degreesF, higher stress or an xiety would be associated with more frequent, severe, and painful attacks. The Raynaud's Treatment Study recruited 313 participants with primary RI? O utcomes were attack rate, severity, and pain. Predictors were average daily outdoor temperature, stress, anxiety, age, gender, and a stress-by-tempera ture or an anxiety-by-temperature interaction. Outcomes were rested separat ely in multiple linear regression models. Stress and anxiety were tested in separate models. Stress was not a significant predictor of RP attack chara cteristics. Higher anxiety was related to more frequent attacks above 60 de greesF. It was also related to greater attack severity at all temperatures, and to greater pain above 60 degreesF and between 40 degrees and 49.9 degr eesF.