Raynaud's Disease vs. Raynaud's Phenomenon (or Secondary Raynaud's)

Raynaud's phenomenon (RP) is a vasospastic disorder characterized by episodic color changes of blanching, cyanosis, and hyperemia in response to cold and/or emotional stress. Secondary RP is characterized by an age of onset of more than 30 years, painful and asymmetric attacks, ischemic skin lesions, positive autoantibodies, capillaroscopic abnormalities and/or clinical features suggestive of connective tissue diseases (CTDs). Among the CTDs, systemic sclerosis has the highest frequency of RP.

When Raynaud's appears by itself, without any other medical condition, it is called Raynaud's Disease. About 1 in 20 adults have primary Raynaud's, whereas only one in 4,000 have Scleroderma. When it appears along with autoimmune diseases such as Scleroderma, Systemic Lupus Erythematosus, and Rheumatoid Arthritis, it is called Raynaud's Phenomenon (or, Secondary Raynaud's.)

In primary Raynaud's, the blood vessels return to normal afterwards. However, in Raynaud's with Scleroderma there may be blood vessel scarring which can make medication ineffective. Digital (Finger) Ulcers are caused by the lack of oxygen to skin cells.

http://www.sclero.org/medical/symptoms/raynauds/a-to-z.html#disease