Sustained Classic Clinical Spectrum of Thromboangiitis Obliterans (Buerger's Disease)

Thromboangiitis obliterans (TAO) has been reported to become less common in general population but more common in women, and in elderly patients. The authors looked at the clinical characteristics of TAO in Poland where there was no significant decrease of smoking and the extent of aging of the general population is less profound. They retro spectively reviewed the records of 377 patients with the diagnosis of TAO hospitalized in their institution from 1970 to 1995. If young smoking males demonstrated distal- extremity ischemia with no bruits audible over major arteries, upper limbs involvement, or superficial thrombophlebitis, the diagnosis of TAO was considered certain. When at least one of those criteria was missed, and in men older than 35 years, but in all females, typical arteriographic findings were required for the diagnosis of TAO. Connective-tissue disease, hyperlipidemia, diabetes, and hypercoagulable state were excluded. Three hundred forty-two men (91%), and 35 (9%) women had a mean age of 29...