Health and medicine: Buerger disease

Buerger disease (also known as the thromboangiitis obliterans) is a type of vasculitis that affects small and medium blood vessels and has been linked strongly to smoking. Buerger disease is characterised by poor blood flow through blood vessels due to inflammation and blood clotting. Symptoms typically include pain (claudication), increased sensitivity to cold, diminished pulses, and cyanosis. Gangrene is often a complication which may require amputation of the affected area. Learn how health care professionals diagnose Buerger disease using ultrasound and angiography.

Health and medicine

The medical world can be a confusing place. Patients, their families, and even students entering health fields might feel overwhelmed by the large vocabularies and complicated explanations. We hope to make understanding the medical world a bit easier. Look around! These videos do not provide medical advice and are for informational purposes only. The videos are not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Always seek the advice of a qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay seeking it because of something you have read or seen in any Khan Academy video.

Vasculitis

Inflammation of the blood vessel wall is termed “vasculitis,” though the etiology of these diseases are rather nebulous. They present with nonspecific symptoms like fever, fatigue, weight loss. Large, medium, and small vessels can all be involved. We will explore the specific differences between the various vasculitides, which range from Takayasu arteritis to microscopic polyangitis.

Topic: Science

Learn about all the sciences, from physics, chemistry and biology, to cosmology and astronomy, across hundreds of videos, articles and practice questions.