Buerger’s disease with cerebral involvement in a middle-aged woman with diabetes mellitus. A case report

Abstract

Introduction: Buerger’s disease (BD) generally affects men, young people, and smokers, but it can also affect women. Its incidence is rare in Latin America. Case report: A 40-year-old Colombian woman, active smoker and user of psychoactive substances, attended the emergency department of a tertiary care center due to symptoms of 3 days consisting of retraction of the corner of the mouth, drooling, and involuntary tongue movements. The patient, who had a history of uncontrolled diabetes and recent acute ischemia of the right upper limb due to acute thrombosis, required surgical management and subsequent use of oral anticoagulation. She later developed necrotic changes in the distal phalanges of the right hand that required ablative therapy. Since age, sex and limb involvement were not typical for BD, collagenosis, vasculitis or thrombophilia were ruled out, but after excluding these disorders, BD with atypical features was considered. The patient was discharged with oral anticoagulation, aspirin, combined analgesia, physiotherapy, and recommendation for smoking cessation. Conclusions: Age, sex, smoking and comorbidities such as diabetes are risk factors for BD. Imaging and histopathology are the gold standard for the definitive diagnosis of this entity. Multidisciplinary management, lifestyle changes, smoking cessation, pain control, good wound healing and social support are key aspects for better clinical outcomes in patients with BD.