Non-freezing cold injury: a multi-faceted syndrome.

Nonfreezing cold-induced injuries.

Non-freezing cold injury (NFCI) is the Cinderella of thermal injuries and is a clinical syndrome that occurs when tissues are exposed to cold temperatures close to freezing point for sustained periods. NFCI is insidious in onset, often difficult to recognize and problematic to treat, and yet the condition accounts for significant morbidity in both military and civilians who work in cold conditi...

Cold still kills: cold-related illnesses in military practice freezing and non-freezing cold injury.

Cold injury to nerves is not due to ischaemia alone.

The effect of cold on nerve fibre populations may be quite selective. Thus it was possible in the present study, with precise timing of a non-freezing cold nerve injury, to destroy myelinated fibres, but leave unmyelinated fibres intact. The aetiology of this cold-induced selective peripheral nerve pathology remains controversial, but recent evidence suggests that ischaemia plays an important r...

Dexamethasone prevents vascular damage in early-stage non-freezing cold injury of the sciatic nerve

Non-freezing cold injury is a prevalent cause of peripheral nerve damage, but its pathogenic mechanism is poorly understood, and treatment remains inadequate. Glucocorticoids have anti-inflammatory and lipid peroxidation-inhibiting properties. We therefore examined whether dexamethasone, a synthetic glucocorticoid compound, would alleviate early-stage non-freezing cold injury of the sciatic ner...

Chronic non-freezing cold injury results in neuropathic pain due to a sensory neuropathy

Non-freezing cold injury develops after sustained exposure to cold temperatures, resulting in tissue cooling but not freezing. This can result in persistent sensory disturbance of the hands and feet including numbness, paraesthesia and chronic pain. Both vascular and neurological aetiologies of this pain have been suggested but remain unproven. We prospectively approached patients referred for ...