Buerger's disease (also known as thromboangiitis obliterans) is an acute inflammation and thrombosis (clotting) of arteries and veins of the hands and feet. It is strongly associated with use of tobacco products, primarily from smoking, but also from smokeless tobacco. This should not be confused with Berger's disease, an unrelated condition. Inflammation is the first response of the immune system to infection or irritation and may be referred to as the innate cascade. ... Thrombosis is the formation of a clot or thrombus inside a blood vessel, obstructing the flow of blood through the circulatory system. ... Section of an artery An arterial road is a class of highway. ... Vein - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia /**/ @import /skins-1. ... Species Nicotiana acuminata Nicotiana alata Nicotiana attenuata Nicotiana benthamiana Nicotiana clevelandii Nicotiana excelsior Nicotiana forgetiana Nicotiana glauca Nicotiana glutinosa Nicotiana langsdorffii Nicotiana longiflora Nicotiana obtusifolia Nicotiana paniculata Nicotiana plumbagifolia Nicotiana quadrivalvis Nicotiana repanda Nicotiana rustica Nicotianasuaveolens Nicotiana sylvestris Nicotiana tabacum Nicotiana tomentosa Ref: ITIS 30562 as of August 26, 2005... Various smoking equipment including different pipes, and cigars. ... IgA nephropathy (also known as IgA nephritis, IgAN, Bergers disease and synpharyngitic glomerulonephritis) is a form of glomerulonephritis (inflammation of the glomeruli of the kidney). ...

Features

There is an acute inflammation and thrombosis of arteries and veins of the hands and feet. The main symptom is pain in the affected areas. Ulcerations and gangrene in the extremities are common complications, often resulting in the need for amputation of the involved extremity. Inflammation is the first response of the immune system to infection or irritation and may be referred to as the innate cascade. ... Thrombosis is the formation of a clot or thrombus inside a blood vessel, obstructing the flow of blood through the circulatory system. ... Section of an artery An arterial road is a class of highway. ... Vein - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia /**/ @import /skins-1. ... Pain is an unpleasant sensation which may be associated with actual or potential tissue damage and which may have physical and emotional components. ... An ulcer (from Latin ulcus) is an open sore of the skin, eyes or mucous membrane, often caused by an initial abrasion and generally maintained by an inflammation and/or an infection. ... It has been suggested that gas gangrene be merged into this article or section. ... Several fields refer to compliations: Complication (medicine) - a unfavorable evolution of a disease, a health condition or a medical treatment Complication (horology) - a special feature in a mechanical clock that causes the design of the movement to become more complicated This is a disambiguation page, a list of pages that... Amputation is the removal of a body extremity by trauma or surgery. ...

Diagnosis

A concrete diagnosis of thromboangiitis obliterans is often difficult as it relies heavily on exclusion of the conditions. The commonly followed diagnostic criteria are below although the criteria tend to differ slightly from author to author. Olin (2000) proposes the following criteria:

1. Age younger than 45 years
2. Current (Or recent) history of tobacco use
3. Presence of distal extremity ischemia (indicated by claudication, pain at rest, ischemic ulcers or gangrene) documented by noninvasive vascular testing such as ultrasound
4. Exclusion of autoimmune diseases, hypercoagulable states, and diabetes mellitus by laboratory tests.
5. Exclusion of a proximal source of emboli by echocardiography and arteriography
6. Consistent arteriographic findings in the clinically involved and noninvolved limbs.

Pathophysiology

There are characteristic pathologic findings of acute inflammation and thrombosis (clotting) of arteries and veins of the hands and feet (the lower limbs being more common). The mechanisms underlying Buerger's disease are still largely unknown. It is suspected that immunological reactions play a role. Pathology (from Greek pathos, feeling, pain, suffering; and logos, study of; see also -ology) is the study of the processes underlying disease and other forms of illness, harmful abnormality, or dysfunction. ... Inflammation is the first response of the immune system to infection or irritation and may be referred to as the innate cascade. ... Thrombosis is the formation of a clot or thrombus inside a blood vessel, obstructing the flow of blood through the circulatory system. ... Section of an artery An arterial road is a class of highway. ... Vein - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia /**/ @import /skins-1. ... Immunology is a broad branch of biomedical science that covers the study of all aspects of the immune system in all organisms. ...

Treatment

Immediate and absolute cessation of tobacco use is necessary to prevent any further progression of the disease. Even a few cigarettes a day or nicotine replacements can keep the disease active. Vascular surgery can sometimes be helpful in treating limbs with poor perfusion secondary to this disease. Vascular surgery is the branch of surgery that occupies itself with surgical interventions of arteries and veins, as well as conservative therapies for disease of the peripheral vascular system. ...

Prognosis

Buerger's disease is rarely fatal, but amputation is common in patients who continue to use tobacco. It often leads to vascular insufficiency.

Prevention

The disease occurs exclusively in tobacco users, so not using tobacco prevents you from getting the disease. Diet has no influence. In nutrition, the diet is the sum of the food consumed by an organism. ...

Epidemiology

Prevalence of the disease has decreased where the prevalence of smoking has decreased. It is more common among men. It is more common in Israel, Japan and India than in the United States and Europe. The disease is most common among South Asians, who smoke special cigarettes made of raw tobacco (bidi). Europe is conventionally considered one of the seven continents of Earth which, in this case, is more a cultural and political distinction than a physiographic one, leading to various perspectives about Europes borders. ... A packet of Mangalore Ganesh beedies. ...

History

Buerger's disease was first reported by physician Leo Buerger in 1908. Physician examining a child A physician is a person who practices medicine. ... 1908 (MCMVIII) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar). ...

References

• Buerger L. Thrombo-angiitis obliterans: a study of the vascular lesions leading to presenile spontaneous gangrene. Am J Med Sci 1908;136:567-80.
• Cotran R, Kumar V, Robbins S, eds: Robbins pathologic basis of disease. 6th ed. Philadelphia: WB Saunders Co; 1999:523.
• Joyce JW (1990). "Buerger's disease (thromboangiitis obliterans).". Rheum Dis Clin North Am 16 (2): 463-70. PMID 2189162.
• Olin JW. Thromboangiitis obliterans (Buerger's disease). N Engl J Med 2000;343:864-9. PMID 10995867.

External link

• Emedicine