The symptoms of Reinkes edema are considered to be chronic symptoms because they develop gradually over time and depend on how long the individual is exposed to the risk factor. In the case of smoking, as long as the individual continues the habit of smoking, the Reinkes edema will continue to progress. This is true for other risk factors as well, such as untreated gastric reflux and overuse of the voice, which is common to professions such as singers and radio announcers. Causes
Smoking is the number one cause of Reinkes edema. Other factors include gastroesophageal reflux, hypothyroidism and chronic overuse of the voice. Smoking and reflux are the only risk factors that may lead to cancer. Additionally, the combination of several risk factors increase the likelihood of an individual developing Reinkes edema. For example, an individual who smokes and also has gastric reflux would have an increased susceptibility for developing Reinkes edema over time.Reinkes edema is commonly diagnosed in middle-aged females with a history of smoking (aged 50 years or older). Because males have lower pitched voices than females, males are less likely to observe a significant changes in the voice, and are therefore less likely to seek treatment. Females also report more physical discomfort due to Reinkes edema. The risk of Reinkes edema increases with age and also with prolonged exposure to smoking.
Pathergy is a skin condition in which a minor trauma such as a bump or bruise leads to the development of skin lesions or ulcers that may be resistant to healing. Pathergy can also lead to ulcerations at the site of surgical incisions. Pathergy is seen with both Behçets disease and pyoderma gangrenosum. A highly similar phenomenon known as the Koebner phenomenon occurs in autoimmune diseases such as psoriasis and systemic lupus erythematosus, among others. Doctors looking toward a diagnosis of Behçets disease may attempt to induce a pathergy reaction with a test known as a "skin prick test". The inflammation and ulceration that occurs as a result of pathergy in pyoderma gangrenosum often responds to systemic steroid therapy. The pathergy reaction is a unique feature of Behçets disease and, according to the International Study Group for Behcets Disease, is among the major criteria required for the diagnosis. Different positive pathergy reaction rates in BD have been reported worldwide. When BD-positive groups are studied for pathergy reaction, the pathergy-positive and pathergy-negative BD groups showed a similar male: female ratio, age at disease onset, and mean disease duration. They also exhibited similar HLA-B51 levels and a similar frequency of oral ulcerations in close family members. The mucocutaneous manifestations, systemic disease expression, and severity score were similar in patients with and without the pathergy reaction.