Blue Extremities

What could cause my son’s legs to turn blue? Do you think this causes him pain?

There are several things that could be causing your son’s legs to be turning blue. There is an entity known as Raynaud’s phenomenon, which causes hands and feet to turn blue and/or red and to be painful. There is some medication that can be tried if this is the case; a rheumatologist would have the most expertise. Raynaud’s phenomenon has been reported frequently in CdLS. There also could be vascular instability causing the blue color. A Doppler ultrasonography of the pulse could be done. A vascular surgeon may have the most expertise with this and could do other studies if necessary. Finally, this could be secondary to lack of oxygen or something cardiac, and a cardiologist could evaluate this.

TK 7-13-10

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