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Question

Please may I have some information about Buerger's disease?

Answer

Buerger's disease is also called thromboangitis obliterans. It is an inflammation of the small and medium sized arteries and veins in the lower legs, and feet and hands. The inflammation causes the blood vessels to become blocked. It may also affect blood vessels in the heart, brain and body organs.

It is most common in young men under the age of 40, and is more common in people of Asian or eastern European origin.

The cause is not known, but there is a definite relationship with cigarette smoking.

The symptoms often include Raynaud's phenomenon in which the fingers and toes go white, then blue and then red. When there is no serious cause for this phenomenon it is called Raynaud's disease.

People with Buerger's disease usually suffer from claudication pain, which is pain in the calves, and feet, and sometimes forearms. This pain comes on with movement or exercise.

There may be characteristic nail changes in the feet and hands, and gangrene and ulceration may occur in the tips of the fingers and toes.

There is no specific treatment, but people who smoke must stop, since continuing will definitely lead to serious complications which will result in amputation of limbs.

Surgery to bypass the larger affected vessels is sometimes helpful.

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