Buerger’s disease is a rare disease that’s also called obliterative thromboangitis. It causes inflammation in certain blood vessels, just like the arteries in addition to medium and small caliber veins. That’s why it’s necessary to find out about possible treatments for Buerger’s disease.

Within the overwhelming majority of cases, people that suffer from this disease are smokers. And, although we don’t know much about its direct cause, it’s more frequent in certain geographic areas. For instance, we see it more commonly within the Mediterranean and Southeast Asian countries.

The issue is that Buerger’s disease can have very serious consequences. One in every of them is that you could have to have a limb amputated. In today’s article, we’ll talk in regards to the causes, symptoms, and treatment for Buerger’s disease.

What’s Buerger’s disease?

Buerger’s disease is a condition that affects the blood vessels. It’s also called obliterative thromboangiitis. That’s since it causes inflammation within the blood vessels. Then, they get clogged due to thrombi. 

Based on a study from Actas Dermo-Sifiliográfiica, most individuals with this disease are young men who smoke. It appears to be the results of an autoimmune mechanism that tobacco triggers.

Even though it’s a rare disease, now we have seen that almost all of the cases occur within the Mediterranean or Asian countries. After the blockage within the blood vessels takes place, the tissues stop receiving oxygenated blood. 

Subsequently, this condition damages the tissues and causes necrosis. Often, this disease will affect your hands and feet essentially the most. Nonetheless, because the disease progresses, it may possibly spread to your legs and arms as well. When your tissues die, you’re at a really high risk of getting to undergo amputation.

Buerger’s disease symptoms

The symptoms related to this disease are the results of the damage it does to your blood vessels. Because it damages each medium and small veins and arteries, it’s common to see issues in your extremities first.

Specialists from the Mayo Clinic explained that one in all these symptoms is claudication. It causes pain within the feet, hands, arms, or legs that appears after you’ve used these extremities for a time frame. For instance, it’s common to feel once you’re walking. Normally, the sensation will go away at rest.

Then, the shortage of blood supply finally ends up causing skin damage. As well as, ulcers or necrotic areas may appear. It might even be brought on by the cold or by stress, along with smoking.

One other typical symptom is Raynaud’s phenomenon. With this condition, your fingers or toes will turn pale because certain triggers are interrupting your blood flow. Essentially the most superficial veins will suffer from episodes of inflammation, which is named superficial thrombophlebitis. 

Tobacco: The most important explanation for this disease

Buerger’s disease, as we’ve explained already, is related to tobacco use. Smoking tobacco or chewing it may possibly cause it, but we don’t know the precise cause. It appears to be an immune system response against tobacco itself. 

The Spanish Academy of Dermatology and Venerology carried out a study that explains how there could also be a certain genetic disposition to this condition. That may explain why only a small percentage of smokers develop this disease. 

This theory can also be supported by the indisputable fact that we see a better prevalence of this disease in certain countries (Asia and the Mediterranean). Buerger’s disease is more common in individuals with the HLA-A9 haplotype. 

Risk aspects

Subsequently, as you’ve seen, a very powerful risk factor is tobacco. And, you don’t need to smoke it. As well as, the more you eat, the good er probability that you simply’ll develop this condition. 

Also, sex could play a task because it’s more common in men than in women. Nonetheless, that might even be because, until very recently, men smoked greater than women. We see most cases of this disease in young people who find themselves under 45 years of age. 

Buerger’s disease diagnosis

Based on a study published in Integral Medicine, the diagnosis of Buerger’s disease is clinical. If a young patient starts experiencing the previously mentioned symptoms, and so they’re a smoker without other risk aspects, they need to see a health care provider.

Also, it’s necessary to rule out other autoimmune diseases or the potential for a stroke. Several tests can help confirm this diagnosis, and the blood test is a basic one. This blood test can assist rule out another conditions, like scleroderma or bleeding disorders.

Angiography is one other useful test. It lets you check the condition of your veins and arteries if they could have been damaged. As well as, the Allen test allows your doctor to watch your arterial blood flow within the hand. 

Buerger’s disease treatment

Since we don’t know the precise explanation for this disease, experts haven’t been capable of determine a great treatment for Buerger’s disease either. The one thing that we all know of course is that it’s essential to quit smoking.

As well as, the doctor will often prescribe anticoagulant treatments. For instance, they could give the patient aspirin, heparin, and acenocoumarol. Those last two are generally prescribed when there’s a venous or arterial thrombosis.

Also, calcium antagonist drugs may be helpful, or some doctors may recommend a sympathectomy. This surgery consists of eliminating certain nerves from the sympathetic nervous system to avoid vasoconstriction.

Nonetheless, if this disease has affected the patient’s blood flow for a very long time and the tissues are damaged, they may have to undergo amputation. The doctor might have to remove a single finger or all the hand or foot. 

Possible complications

One of the crucial serious complications of this disease, as you’ve just read, is amputation. This is frequently crucial when the tissues within the hands or feet die and gangrene occurs.

Gangrene is when one tissue dies as a result of an absence of blood supply or due to a severe bacterial infection. Symptoms often include black or bluish discoloration of the skin, an unpleasant odor, and lack of feeling.

Amputation is crucial since the infection can spread to the remaining of the body if the doctor doesn’t amputate. Then, depending on which a part of the body was amputated, the patient’s functionality and independence will probably be affected.

Conclusion

The reality is that scientists still don’t know the precise trigger of this disease. Nonetheless, they do know that one in all the most important triggers is tobacco. Whether you smoke it or chew it, tobacco is the most important risk factor.

As well as, tobacco is harmful to many other elements of health. It might cause a mess of cancers, like lung or lip cancer. That’s why it’s essential to avoid smoking or to quit as soon as possible. 

Normally, it’s very difficult to quit when you’ve been using tobacco for years. Nonetheless, today there are a lot of methods and ways to assist you to take this step. For instance, you possibly can take medications and get the assistance of psychological therapies. As well as, you possibly can at all times ask your doctor for help.