Improvement in both Raynaud disease and hyperhidrosis in response to botulinum toxin type A treatment

A patient with concurrent Raynaud disease presented for hyperhidrosis of the axillae and palms. After a positive response to botulinum toxin type A (BoNTA) for axillary hyperhidrosis, she returned requesting palmar treatment.

Our goal was to investigate the effect of BoNTA on Raynaud disease in concurrent hyperhidrosis with respect to color change, swelling, and digital pain.

The patient had treatment with 100 units of BoNTA to one hand at first, with the other being a negative control, followed by treatment of the second hand 1 week later.

After the injection into the first palm, the patient demonstrated an 85% reduction in palmar hyperhidrosis and a significant improvement in her Raynaud symptoms. Specifically, the BoNTA-treated hand had reduced swelling, color change, and pain, whereas the untreated control hand remained affected. After the second hand was treated, it, too, demonstrated the same positive results.

Our case report of concurrent Raynaud disease and palmar hyperhidrosis shows significant improvement in both conditions to BoNTA administration. The physiology is multifactorial and relates to BoNTA's effect on acetylcholine, noradrenaline, substance P, calcitonin gene-related peptide, and glutamate release from nerve terminals. These results present an encouraging novel treatment option in dermatology for patients with Raynaud disease.