Leprosy Mimicking Thrombangiitis Obliterans (Buerger’s Disease): A Case Study
Thromboangiitis obliterans (TAO), also known as Buerger's disease, is a vasculitis associated with a history of smoking, presenting as limb ischemia. Conversely, leprosy is a chronic infectious disease caused by <i>Mycobacterium leprae</i> (<i>M. leprae</i>). While leprosy typically presents with neurological signs, this report describes a rare case of atypical borderline lepromatous (BL) leprosy in a type 1 reaction with an initial presentation mimicking TAO in an elderly woman. This atypical presentation, combined with skin changes related to aging, masked the diagnosis of BL leprosy.
Authors
- Bruno de Carvalho Dornelas (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1404-8876)
- Caio Oliveira Sena (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0005-4974-5876)
- Julia Omar (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4165-2673)
- Isabela Maria Bernardes Goulart (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2319-3223)
- Paolo Sena (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2064-8600)
Institutions
- Universidade Federal de Uberlândia (BR)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Cureus
- Published
- 2025-03-19
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.7759/cureus.80822
- Citations
- 1
- Primary Topic
- Leprosy Research and Treatment
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 1.40