Burger disease

Burger disease

overview

Burger disease

Burger disease

In Bürger's disease, the blood vessels swell and can become blocked by blood clots (thrombi). This eventually damages or destroys skin tissue and can lead to infection and gangrene. Buerger's disease usually first appears in the hands and feet and can expand to affect larger areas of the arms and legs.

Buerger's disease is a rare disease of the arteries and veins in the arms and legs. In Bürger's disease - also called thromboangiitis obliterans - your blood vessels become inflamed, swell and can become blocked by blood clots (thrombi).

This eventually damages or destroys skin tissue and can lead to infection and gangrene. Buerger's disease usually first appears in your hands and feet and can eventually affect larger areas of your arms and legs.

Nearly everyone diagnosed with Buerger's disease smokes cigarettes or uses other forms of tobacco, such as chewing tobacco. Quitting all forms of tobacco is the only way to stop Citizen's Disease. For those who do not stop, amputation of all or part of a limb is sometimes necessary.

Symptoms

Symptoms of Burger disease include:

• Kribbeln oder Taubheitsgefühl in den Händen oder Füßen.
• Blasse, rötliche oder blau gefärbte Hände oder Füße.
• Schmerzen, die in Ihren Beinen und Füßen oder in Ihren Armen und Händen kommen und gehen können. Dieser Schmerz kann auftreten, wenn Sie Ihre Hände oder Füße benutzen, und lässt nach, wenn Sie diese Aktivität beenden (Claudicatio) oder wenn Sie sich in Ruhe befinden.
• Entzündung entlang einer Vene direkt unter der Hautoberfläche (aufgrund eines Blutgerinnsels in der Vene).
• Blasse Finger und Zehen bei Kälteeinwirkung (Raynaud-Phänomen).
• Schmerzhafte offene Wunden an Fingern und Zehen.

When to go to the doctor?

See your doctor if you think you have signs or symptoms of Buerger's disease.

Causes

The exact cause of Buerger's disease is unknown. While tobacco use clearly plays a role in the development of Bürger's disease, it is not clear how it does so. Chemicals in tobacco are believed to irritate the lining of your blood vessels, causing them to swell.

Experts suspect that some people have a genetic predisposition to the disease. It is also possible that the disease is caused by an autoimmune reaction, in which the body's immune system mistakenly attacks healthy tissue.

Risk factors

Tobacco use

Smoking cigarettes significantly increases the risk of Burger disease. But Bürger's disease can occur in people who use any form of tobacco, including cigars and chewing tobacco.

People who smoke hand-rolled cigarettes containing raw tobacco and those who smoke more than a pack and a half of cigarettes per day may be at greatest risk of developing Burger's disease. Rates of Bürger's disease are highest in areas of the Mediterranean, Middle East and Asia, where heavy smoking is most common.

Chronic gum disease

Long-term infection of the gums has been linked to the development of Buerger's disease, although the reason for this connection is not yet clear.

sex

Buerger's disease is far more common in men than in women. However, this difference may be linked to higher smoking rates among men.

The age

The disease often first occurs in people under 45 years of age.

Complications

As Buerger's disease worsens, blood flow to your arms and legs decreases. This is due to blockages that make it difficult for blood to reach the tips of the fingers and toes. Tissues that do not receive blood do not receive the oxygen and nutrients they need to survive.

This can cause the skin and tissue at the ends of your fingers and toes to die (gangrene). Signs and symptoms of gangrene include black or blue skin, a loss of feeling in the affected finger or toe, and a foul odor from the affected area. Gangrene is a serious condition that usually requires amputation of the affected finger or toe.

prevention

Stop using tobacco in any form

Virtually everyone who suffers from Bürger's disease has used tobacco in some form, especially cigarettes. To prevent Bürger's disease, it is important not to consume tobacco.

Quitting smoking can be difficult. If you're like most smokers, you've probably tried to quit at some point. It's never too late to try again. Talk to your doctor about strategies to help you quit.

Buerger disease care

Sources:

1. Bürgerkrankheit. Informationszentrum für Genetik und seltene Krankheiten. https://rarediseases.info.nih.gov/diseases/5969/buerger-disease. Abgerufen am 13. Dezember 2020.
2. Olin, JW. Thromboangiitis obliterans (Morbus Bürger). https://www.uptodate.com/contents/search. Abgerufen am 13. Dezember 2020.
3. Sidawy AN, et al. Thromboangiitis obliterans (Morbus Bürger). In: Rutherford’s Vascular Surgery and Endovascular Surgery. 9. Aufl. Philadelphia, Elsevier, Inc.; 2019. https://www.clinicalkey.com. Abgerufen am 13. Dezember 2020.
4. Riggin EA. Allscripts EPSi. Mayo-Klinik. 14. Dezember 2020.
5. Modaghegh MS, et al. Enovaskuläre Behandlung von Thromboangiitis obliterans (Morbus Bürger). Gefäß- und endovaskuläre Chirurgie. 2018; doi:10.1177/1538574417744085.