Nails Involvement in Winiwarter-Buerger Disease

Area of Science:

• Vascular Medicine
• Dermatology
• Rheumatology

Background:

• Buerger disease, or thromboangiitis obliterans, is a rare inflammatory vascular condition affecting small and medium-sized vessels.
• It typically impacts young male smokers, primarily causing lower limb ischemia.

Observation:

• This report details two patients where nail abnormalities were the first presenting sign of Buerger disease.
• Observed nail lesions included chronic paronychia and proximal leukonychia with onycholysis and nail bed erosion.

Findings:

• Nail involvement is an uncommon manifestation of Buerger disease.
• The study identified two distinct nail lesion presentations not previously documented in medical literature.

Implications:

• Recognizing these specific nail changes can aid in the early diagnosis of Buerger disease.
• This expands the clinical spectrum of Buerger disease, emphasizing the need for thorough dermatological examination in affected patients.