Welcome to the NFCI website
Aim of website
To provide:
- information on NFCI for medical professionals and general public
- advice on risk factors and prevention of NFCI
- contacts for reputable military and civilian clinics
- a library of NFCI research articles
- updates on the latest research in NFCI
Latest NFCI papers published
The most comprehensive study of NFCI examining the neural, vascular and biomarker changes associated with chronic NFCI compared to matched controls was published in three papers in Experimental Physiology in 2023. These papers showed that individuals with chronic NFCI were cold intolerant compared to controls possibly due to increased endothelin-1, had impaired sensory function and may have reduced intraepidermal nerve fibre density, rewarmed more slowly after a cold challenge and had a reduced vasoconstrictor response to deep inspiration. Plasma syndecan and interleukin-10 were elevated in individuals with NFCI and cold exposed controls. Based on the tests conducted, chronic NFCI did not appear to be associated with endothelial dysfunction, oxidative stress or a pro-inflammatory state.