Classically affecting the lower extremities, patients with Buerger’s disease can present with a vasculitis involving the upper limbs that responds markedly to a cessation of smoking.¹
Clinical Clues to Buerger’s Disease
- recurrence
- despite collaterals, but may have devastating disease
- inflammation/obliteration of arteries and adjacent veins
- smoker
- upper limb involvement
“Thromboangiitis obliterans is an inflammatory obliterative non‐atherosclerotic disease of medium‐ to small‐sized arteries and veins, and less frequently nerves. […] Buerger’s disease predominantly affects males under 50 yr, most commonly those from Asia or the Orient”.¹
- C. Young, H. Beynon, D. Haskard, Buerger’s disease (thromboangiitis obliterans): a reversible cause of upper limb digital infarcts, Rheumatology, Volume 39, Issue 4, April 2000, Pages 442–443, https://doi.org/10.1093/rheumatology/39.4.442
- Rivera-Chavarría, Ignacio J, and José D Brenes-Gutiérrez. “Thromboangiitis obliterans (Buerger’s disease).” Annals of medicine and surgery (2012) vol. 7 79-82. 29 Mar. 2016, doi:10.1016/j.amsu.2016.03.028
