Sociodemographic and pharmacological characteristics of patients with primary and secondary Raynaud's phenomenon. A cross-sectional study.

Abstract

Raynaud's phenomenon is a vasospastic condition that negatively affects the quality of life of patients. Symptoms may improve with the use of vasodilators and may worsen with the use of vasoconstrictors. The objective was to describe the sociodemographic and pharmacological characteristics of patients with a diagnosis of primary or secondary Raynaud's phenomenon in Colombia. This cross-sectional study investigated the use of drugs by patients diagnosed with Raynaud's phenomenon between June-2021, and June-2024, collected from a population database of 9.5 million Colombians affiliated with the Colombian health care system. Descriptive and bivariate analyses were performed. A total of 567 patients were identified. The average age was 51.9±17.9 years, and 82.5% were women. A total of 58.7% were diagnosed with primary Raynaud's phenomenon and 41.3% with secondary Raynaud's phenomenon. The most frequent secondary cause was systemic sclerosis (36.8%). A total of 58.9% of patients received pharmacological treatment, with a greater proportion among patients with secondary Raynaud's phenomenon than among those with primary Raynaud's phenomenon (71.8 vs. 49.8%; P<0.001). The most used drugs were calcium channel blockers (45.7%). A total of 9.2% of patients received drugs that can worsen Raynaud's phenomenon, most of which were non-selective β-blockers (6.9%). Primary Raynaud's phenomenon was more common than secondary Raynaud's phenomenon. Systemic sclerosis was the main cause of the secondary Raynaud's phenomenon. Calcium channel blockers were the most used medications for the management of Raynaud's phenomenon. Some patients were exposed to medications that can worsen Raynaud's phenomenon, but these medications may be necessary for the management of other conditions.