CARDIOVASCULAR JOURNAL OF AFRICA • Volume 25, No 3, May/June 2014
124
AFRICA
Comparison of quality of life in patients with peripheral
arterial disease caused by atherosclerosis obliterans or
Buerger’s disease
Rojbin Karakoyun, Cüneyt Köksoy, Zeynep Şener, Umut Gündüz, Bariş Karakaş, Mustafa Karakoyun
Abstract
Objective:
Buerger’s disease and atherosclerosis obliterans
(ASO) are two peripheral arterial diseases (PAD) that are
frequently encountered. The aim of this study was to compare
quality of life (QOL) in patients with Buerger’s disease and
ASO.
Methods:
We prospectively followed 86 patients who were
admitted to our hospital due to ASO or Buerger’s disease.
Their ischaemia was evaluated according to the clinical cate-
gory chronic limb ischaemia at the time of hospital admission
and at six and 12 months. The QOL was measured at the time
of hospital admission and at six and 12 months with the Short
Form Health Status Survey (SF-36) and Vascular Quality of
Life Questionnaire (VASCUQOL).
Results:
A total of 86 patients with ASO or Buerger’s disease
(47 and 39, respectively) were included in the study. Pain
parameters from both SF-36 and VASCUQOL scores were
lower in patients with Buerger’s disease at the time of hospital
admission and at six months. The impairment in QOL was
found to be proportional to the extent of chronic limb ischae-
mia. Conversely, when patients with critical limb ischaemia
were evaluated, no difference was observed between those
with ASO or Buerger’s disease in terms of QOL. Amputations
were found to have a negative effect on quality of life.
Conclusion:
Buerger’s disease had a more pronounced nega-
tive effect on QOL than ASO, particularly in terms of pain
score. When critical limb ischaemia was considered, ASO
and Buerger’s disease impaired quality of life at the same rate.
Keywords:
Buerger’s disease, atherosclerosis obliterans, quality
of life
Submitted 17/7/13, accepted 1/4/14
Cardiovasc J Afr
2014;
25
: 124–129
DOI: 10.5830/CVJA-2014-017
Vascular diseases are well studied today because of the
relationship between arterial age and human age, the close
connection between aging and arterial diseases, and the fact
that the majority of deaths result from diseases of the vascular
system. Among vascular diseases, chronic occlusive arterial
disease of the lower extremities is of great importance in terms
of mortality and morbidity. An increase in the incidence of
peripheral arterial diseases is also a consequence of the gradually
increasing size of the elderly population.
1
The treatment strategy for patients should not be intended
only for the prevention of extremity loss in peripheral arterial
diseases (PAD), but also for the determination and treatment of
risk factors, thus resulting in increased quality of life. Nowadays,
the objective determination of quality of life, and evaluation of
the association between quality of life and treatment methods in
PAD is of great importance.
1-3
Buerger’s disease is a PAD that is frequently encountered and
causes significant loss of the extremities. Generally, although
its pathological characteristics are well described, there is
inadequate information about its impact on daily life and general
health levels of patients, and about the difference in terms of
quality of life between patients with Buerger’s disease and
atherosclerosis obliterans (ASO), which are the most significant
causes of PAD.
These two types of PAD show different aetiology, age of
appearance and co-morbidity. These differences may influence
the patient’s quality of life differently. Based on our clinical
observations, we assumed the quality of life in patients with
Buerger’s disease may be worse than that of patients with ASO.
Although studies evaluating quality of life in PAD have
been carried out, there is, to our knowledge, no study that
evaluates quality of life in patients with Buerger’s disease, or a
comparison of quality of life in patients with ASO and Buerger’s
disease, which are the most significant chronic occlusive arterial
diseases. The objective of our study was to compare the quality
of life in patients with ASO and Buerger’s disease.
Methods
This prospective study included patients with ASO and Buerger’s
disease who were admitted to the Department of Vascular
Surgery, University of Ankara between 2008 and 2010. Those
patients with chronic lower limb ischaemia due to ASO or
Buerger’s disease were evaluated in terms of symptoms, risk
Division of Vascular Surgery, Department of General Surgery,
Faculty of Medicine, Ankara University, Ankara, Turkey
Rojbin Karakoyun, MD,
Cüneyt Köksoy, MD
Zeynep Şener, MD
Department of Surgery, Antalya Training and Research
Hospital, Antalya, Turkey
Umut Gündüz, MD
Barış Karakaş, MD
Department of Radiology, Veni-Vidi Hospital, Diyarbakir,
Turkey
Mustafa Karakoyun, MD
