§ Mr. Heddleasked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will make a statement on the illness Raynaud's Phenomenon; what are the causes of the illness; and how frequently it occurs.
§ Mr. RossiRaynaud's Phenomenon is one of the terms for white finger a condition which involves transient attacks of blanching of the fingers. Three categories are recognised: primary white finger, secondary white finger and vibration white finger.
Primary or constitutional white finger occurs in about 3–4 per cent. of men and 10 per cent. of women of working age, though it is much more common than this among the elderly. There is no evident cause. Secondary white finger is associated with a number of pathological conditions, such as scleroderma, lupus erythematosis, rheumatoid arthritis, occlusive vascular disease, the costoclavicular syndrome, poliomyelitis and syringomyelia. It is not known how frequently it occurs.
Vibration white finger (VWF) is the occupational form of the condition, brought on by the use of vibratory tools. It is not known how many people are affected by it. I understand that the Industrial Injuries Advisory Council, the independent statutory body which advises my right hon. Friend on industrial injuries matters, has just completed an investigation of whether VWF should be prescribed for industrial injuries purposes and its report on this question will be published in the autumn.