A comprehensive review of the epidemiology and clinical features of 91 cases with Buerger’s disease

Abstract

Background

Thromboangiitis Obliterans (TAO) is a disease of small and medium-sized arteries with an unclear natural course. This study aims to establish a national registry of the disease to gain a better understanding of its epidemiology and clinical course.

Method

This study was a cohort study of 242 patients with a high probability of TAO admitted to Mashhad University of Medical Sciences (MUMS) hospitals from 2000 to 2015. Of these, 91 patients with a confirmed diagnosis were included in the study (90 males and 1 female) with a mean age of 35 ± 7.8 years.

Results

The most common symptom upon onset of the disease was paresthesia (29.7%), followed by cold sensitivity and paresthesia (93.4%) during the progression of the disease and Raynaud syndrome or vasospasm (93.9%) in the active phase. The right lower limb was the most commonly affected limb (46.2%), and presenting ischemic symptoms in 48.4%.

Statistics indicated a positive correlation between the duration of Burger’s disease and the number of affected limbs (p = 0.001). There was no effect of disease duration on the likelihood of amputations (p = 0.28).

Conclusion

Some patients may experience mild, subtle symptoms for years before the initial signs and symptoms appear, which can be severe and rapidly progress to the point of requiring amputation.

We suggest that the diagnostic criteria for Buerger’s disease should be revised in light of the presence of atherosclerosis and its associated risk factors, which present a challenge in terms of diagnosis and treatment. Clinical experience will be of great importance in this regard.