HWN Suggests

Thromboangiitis Obliterans: 110 Years Old and Little Progress Made

Since the landmark article by Leo Buerger in 1908, there has been little progress in the understanding of the cause, pathophysiology, and optimum treatment of patients with thromboangiitis obliterans (TAO). There are ≈40 to 50 articles published on TAO every year, and for the most part, they comprise case reports, small series, and review articles. There has been only incremental new information published since the articles published from the 1960s to the present time... There is a strong association with the use of tobacco products as well as cannabis.

read full article

Featured

 Medicine in the Age of Twitter

Considered an “orphan” disease because of its relative rarity, Buerger’s disease compromises the blood supply to a patient’s fingers and toes. Eventually these patients, who are usually men in their 20s to 40s who smoke, develop excruciating pain, severe ulcerations and gangrene. And more often than not, they must undergo progressively higher amputations.

Articles of Interest

Recent Updates and Advances in Winiwarter-Buerger Disease (Thromboangiitis Obliterans): Biomolecular Mechanisms, Diagnostics and Clinical Consequences

Thromboangiitis obliterans (TAO) or Buerger’s disease is a segmental inflammatory, thrombotic occlusive peripheral vascular disease with unknown aetiology that usually involves the medium and small-sized vessels of young male smokers. Due to its unknown aetiology and similarities with atherosclerosis and vasculitis, TAO diagnosis is still challenging.

Smoking and Buerger’s Disease

The exact cause of Buerger’s disease is unknown, however tobacco use is strongly linked to its development. Researchers believe that chemicals in tobacco may irritate the lining of the blood vessels, causing them to swell. Almost everyone diagnosed with Buerger’s disease smokes cigarettes or uses other forms of tobacco, such as cigars and chewing tobacco.

Buerger’s Disease May be a Chronic Rickettsial Infection with Superimposed Thrombosis: Literature Review and Efficacy of Doxycycline in Three Patients

Buerger’s disease (BD) is a chronic inflammatory vasculitis of unknown etiology. The infectious etiology of BD was proposed by Buerger in 1914. Furthermore, there are scattered reports insisting that BD may be related to rickettsial infection, first asserted by Goodman since 1916, followed by Giroud and other French investigators from the 1940s through the 1960s, Nicolau in the 1960s, Bartolo (1980s), and Fazeli (2010s). However, their causal relationship has hardly been accepted because rickettsial infections are known to be acute febrile, vector-borne illnesses, whereas BD is a chronic afebrile illness.

Buerger’s Disease vs Raynaud’s: Key Differences Explained

Raynaud’s is like a color-changing magic trick when your body overreacts to the cold or stress. Your fingers and toes might look like they’re having a party with red, white, and blue colors. But it’s not as fun as it sounds. On the other hand, the definition of Buerger’s disease is like a blocked road for blood. It mostly affects people who smoke and can make your fingers and toes go painfully pale, just like Raynaud’s. But there’s more to the story.

Resources

NORD

Buerger’s disease, also known as thromboangiitis obliterans, is a rare disorder that, in most cases, affects young or middle-aged male cigarette smokers. It is characterized by narrowing or blockage (occlusion) of the veins and arteries of the extremities, resulting in reduced blood flow to these areas (peripheral vascular disease). The legs are affected more often than the arms. In most cases, the first symptom is extreme pain of the lower arms and legs while at rest.

Radiopaedia

Patients may initially present with nonspecific symptoms such as hand and foot claudication, which eventually progresses to ischemic ulceration. A biopsy is often necessary to make the diagnosis because the imaging appearance and symptoms overlap with those of atherosclerosis and other connective tissue diseases.

StatPearls

Buerger disease is a nonatherosclerotic, progressive, segmental inflammatory disease affecting the small and medium-sized arteries of upper and lower limbs. It is commonly found in males with a history of smoking.

Vasculitis UK

Buerger’s (also known as Thromboangiitis obliterans) is a disease of the small and medium arteries and veins that restricts blood flow to the hands and feet. Clots (thrombus) develop inside the blood vessels. This in turn leads to skin ulcers and gangrene in the fingers and toes and numbness and tingling if the nerves are affected.