Buerger’s Disease, A Simple Guide To The Condition, Diagnosis, Treatment And Related Conditions

By Kenneth Kee

This book describes Buerger’s Disease, Diagnosis and Treatment and Related Diseases

Today I was watching a documentary of a Malay woman who had her hands and toes amputated due to gangrene from an advanced case of Buerger’s Disease. She did not smoke. The cause of her illness was unknown. A person with the hands and toes amputated cannot do much things.

It inspires me to write abut Buerger's Disease simply for any one interested in reading about it.

Buerger's disease (thromboangiitis obliterans) is an infrequent disease of the arteries and veins in the arms and legs.
In Buerger's disease, the blood vessels become inflamed, swell and can become obstructed with blood clots (thrombi).
This ultimately injures or destroys skin tissues and may cause infection and gangrene.
Buerger's disease normally first shows in the hands and feet and may ultimately involve larger areas of the arms and legs.
Almost everyone diagnosed with Buerger's disease smokes cigarettes or utilizes other forms of tobacco, such as chewing tobacco.
Experts believe that some people may have a genetic predisposition to the disease.
It is also possible that the disease is produced by an autoimmune response in which the body's immune system mistakenly assaults healthy tissue.
Chronic gum disease or long-term infection of the gums also is related to the formation of Buerger's disease
Sympttoms:
1. Onset is sudden
Pain may be intermittent in the legs and feet or in the arms and hands.
2. Classic symptom of heavy aches and pain in the legs when walking (intermittent claudication)
This pain may happen when the patient uses the hands or feet and ceases when the patient stops that activity (claudication), or when the patient is at rest
3. Loss of arterial pulses
4. Leg pallor and coldness
5. Raynaud’s phenomenon
Fingers and toes become pale when exposed to cold (Raynaud's phenomenon)
6. Inflammation along a vein just below the skin's surface (due to a blood clot in the vein)
7. Other arterial diseases:
a. retinopathy
b. coronary ischemia
c. renal ischemia
8. Presence of peripheral ischemia or gangrene
9. Painful open sores on the fingers and toes
Diagnosis
The Allen's test
The doctor may do a simple test called the Allen's test to examine blood flow through the arteries carrying blood to the hands.
In the Allen's test, the patient makes a tight fist, forcing the blood out of the hand.
The doctor compresses the arteries at each side of the wrist to slow the flow of blood back into the hand, making the hand lose its normal color.
Next, the patient releases the hand and the doctor relaxes the pressure on one artery, then the other.
The rapidity that the color returns to the hand may give a general indication about the health of the arteries.
Slow blood flow into the hand may indicate a disorder, such as Buerger's disease.
Angiogram
An angiogram helps to visualize the condition of the arteries.
An angiogram can be done non-invasively with the usage of CT or MRI scans.
Buerger's disease almost always involves more than one limb, so even though the patient may not have signs and symptoms in the other limbs, this test may determine early signs of vessel damage.
Treatment
1. Stop smoking
2. Medicines to dilate blood vessels, improve blood flow or dissolve blood clots
(Vasodilator drugs like persantin, nitrates)
3. Intermittent compression of the arms and legs to increase blood flow to the extremities
4. Spinal cord stimulation using electrodes
5. Amputation is favored with infection or gangrene in elderly
6. Hyperbaric oxygen therapy is a promising new treatment
7. Autologous bone marrow stem cell implantation to stimulate angiogenesis has given good results
8. Painkillers are given for pain

TABLE OF CONTENT
Introduction
Chapter 1 Buerger’s Disease
Chapter 2 Causes

• Language: English
• Publisher: Kenneth Kee
• Release date: Dec 30, 2018
• ISBN: 9780463868430

Kenneth Kee

Medical doctor since 1972.Started Kee Clinic in 1974 at 15 Holland Dr #03-102, relocated to 36 Holland Dr #01-10 in 2009.Did my M.Sc (Health Management ) in 1991 and Ph.D (Healthcare Administration) in 1993.Dr Kenneth Kee is still working as a family doctor at the age of 74However he has reduced his consultation hours to 3 hours in the morning and 2 hours inthe afternoon.He first started writing free blogs on medical disorders seen in the clinic in 2007 on http://kennethkee.blogspot.com.His purpose in writing these simple guides was for the health education of his patients which is also his dissertation for his Ph.D (Healthcare Administration). He then wrote an autobiography account of his journey as a medical student to family doctor on his other blog http://afamilydoctorstale.blogspot.comThis autobiography account “A Family Doctor’s Tale” was combined with his early “A Simple Guide to Medical Disorders” into a new Wordpress Blog “A Family Doctor’s Tale” on http://ken-med.com.From which many free articles from the blog was taken and put together into 1000 eBooks.He apologized for typos and spelling mistakes in his earlier books.He will endeavor to improve the writing in futures.Some people have complained that the simple guides are too simple.For their information they are made simple in order to educate the patients.The later books go into more details of medical disorders.He has published 1000 eBooks on various subjects on health, 1 autobiography of his medical journey, another on the autobiography of a Cancer survivor, 2 children stories and one how to study for his nephew and grand-daughter.The purpose of these simple guides is to educate patient on health disorders and not meant as textbooks.He does not do any night duty since 2000 ever since Dr Tan had his second stroke.His clinic is now relocated to the Buona Vista Community Centre.The 2 units of his original clinic are being demolished to make way for a new Shopping Mall.He is now doing some blogging and internet surfing (bulletin boards since the 1980's) startingwith the Apple computer and going to PC.The entire PC is upgraded by himself from XT to the present Pentium duo core.The present Intel i7 CPU is out of reach at the moment because the CPU is still expensive.He is also into DIY changing his own toilet cistern and other electric appliance.His hunger for knowledge has not abated and he is a lifelong learner.The children have all grown up and there are 2 grandchildren who are even more technically advanced than the grandfather where mobile phones are concerned.This book is taken from some of the many articles in his blog (now with 740 posts) A Family Doctor’s Tale.Dr Kee is the author of:"A Family Doctor's Tale""Life Lessons Learned From The Study And Practice Of Medicine""Case Notes From A Family Doctor"

Book preview

Buerger’s Disease,

A

Simple

Guide

To

The Condition,

Diagnosis,

Treatment

And

Related Conditions

By

Dr Kenneth Kee

M.B.,B.S. (Singapore)

Ph.D (Healthcare Administration)

Copyright Kenneth Kee 2018 Smashwords Edition

Published by Kenneth Kee at Smashwords.com

Dedication

This book is dedicated

To my wife Dorothy

And my children

Carolyn, Grace

And Kelvin

This book describes Buerger’s Disease, Diagnosis and Treatment and Related Diseases which is seen in some of my patients in my Family Clinic.

(What You Need to Treat Buerger’s Disease)

This eBook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This eBook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each reader.

If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy.

Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

Introduction

I have been writing medical articles for my blog: http://kennethkee.blogspot.com (A Simple Guide to Medical Disorder) for the benefit of my patients since 2007.

My purpose in writing these simple guides was for the health education of my patients.

Health Education was also my dissertation for my Ph.D (Healthcare Administration).

I then wrote an autobiolographical account of his journey as a medical student to family doctor on his other blog: http://afamilydoctorstale.blogspot.com.

This autobiolographical account A Family Doctor’s Tale was combined with my early A Simple Guide to Medical Disorders into a new Wordpress Blog A Family Doctor’s Tale on http://kenkee481.wordpress.com.

From which many free articles from the blog was taken and put together into 800 eBooks.

Some people have complained that the simple guides are too simple.

For their information they are made simple in order to educate the patients.

The later books go into more details of medical disorders.

The first chapter is always from my earlier blogs which unfortunately tends to have typos and spelling mistakes.

Since 2013, I have tried to improve my spelling and writing.

As I tried to bring the patient the latest information about a disorder or illness by reading the latest journals both online and offline, I find that I am learning more and improving on my own medical knowledge in diagnosis and treatment for my patients.

Just by writing all these simple guides I find that I have learned a lot from your reviews (good or bad), criticism and advice.

I am sorry for the repetitions in these simple guides as the second chapters onwards have new information as compared to my first chapter taken from my blog.

I also find repetition definitely help me and maybe some readers to remember the facts in the books more easily.

I apologize if these repetitions are irritating to some readers.

Chapter 1

Buerger’s Disease

Today I was watching a documentary of a Malay woman who had her hands and toes amputated due to gangrene from an advanced case of Buerger’s Disease. She did not smoke. The cause of her illness was unknown. A person with the hands and toes amputated cannot do much things.