What is Buerger's Disease?
Posted by Healthfitline
On
Sunday, February 24, 2013
Buerger's disease also known as thromboangiitis obliterans is an autoimmune vasculitis that is characterized by inflammation of arteries and veins of the lower extremities. In rare cases, the disease can also affects the upper extremities. Buerger's disease is less common in women and it is more common in men aged in betweeen 20 and 35 years.
The cause of buerger's disease is not known but it believed to occur from an autoimmune disorder that attacks both the small and medium blood vessels. When this happens, there is an initiation of an inflammation process inside the blood vessels, resulting into blood clot formation and occlusion (blockage) of blood vessels.
Buerger's Disease Risk Factors
- Cigarette or tobacco chewing (the most common risk factor).
- Gender - more common in male gender, aged between 20 - 35 years.
Buerger's Disease Symptoms
- Intermittent pain (pains that comes and goes). It usually occurs after an exercise (activity) and relieved by rest (in-step claudication).
- Numbness and feeling of a tingling sensation on the extremities.
- Extremities become cool and turn pale after exposure to cold. A condition known as Raynaud's phenomenon.
- Decreased or absence of pedal pulse due to insufficient blood flow to the extremities but with normal femoral and popliteal pulses (thigh and behind the knee pulses).
- Cramps on the arch of the foot that is also relieved by taking a rest.
Buerger's Disease Complications
- Color change that may lead to ulceration.
- Gangrene formation (localized death and decomposition of tissues of a part of the lower extremities).
- Gangrene formation that can eventually lead to toe or leg amputation.
Buerger's Disease Diagnosis
Buerger's disease diagnois tests may include;
- The doctor may measure segmental limb blood pressure to detect the part of the extremities that is occluded (arterial occlusion).
- Duplex Ultrasonography - to visualize the extent of the disease progression.
- Contrast Angiography - A dye is injected on the blood vessels to visualize inside the blood vessels and to identify the diseased portion.
- Other Blood tests - blood tests to help in ruling out other conditions that may be causing the same signs and symptoms.
Buerger's Disease Treatment
There is no known treatment that can cure buerger's disease and any treatment given is directed towards improving the circulation on the lower extremities, to halt the progression of the disease, to increase patient's level of comfort, to prevent trauma, infection and other possible complications that may arise from the disease.
Cigarette smoking is one of the most common cause of buerger's disease and patients are advised to immediately stop smoking and tobacco use. Symptoms of buerger's disease are relieved by cessation of smoking.
Other treatment that may be used include;
- Use of Vasodilators - Vasodilators are rarely used since they only work by dilating healthy blood vessels. This may worsens the symptoms since they can divert the blood from the occluded blood by directing it to the dilated healthy blood vessels.
- Spinal Cord Compression - a process that uses electrical current to help in treating chronic pain.
- Ganglionectomy - a surgical procedure that is used to remove tumor or a swelling (ganglion) on the extremity to help in improving blood flow.
- A regional sympathetic block - injection of drug on the affected limb to relieve pain.
- Toe or leg amputation, if gangrene is present.
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