[Aspects of thrombophilia in Buerger's disease]

Buerger's disease or thromboangiitis obliterans is a disorder of unknown etiology which affects young heavy smokers, mainly of male sex; it is not clear why this disease afflicts only a little number of heavy smokers. Studies about genetic predisposition, autoimmune phenomena and platelet function have been performed in order to search additional etiologic factors without finding significant alterations. Recently some cases of Buerger's disease in association with hypercoagulable states have been described. The authors reported ten subjects affected by Buerger's disease, who have undergone to a clotting process evaluation. We have found 3 cases with fasting hyperhomocysteinemia in association with low level of plasma folate, 3 cases with high value of lipoprotein(a) (in 1 subject in association with IgG anticardiolipin antibody positivity), 1 case with IgM anticardiolipin antibody positivity. These findings, along with literature data, induce to hypothesize that hypercoagulable states may favour the clinical expression of Buerger's disease.