San José, Costa Rica. August, 2015.

Has it happened to you that when you walk, you feel important leg fatigue and you need to stop completely to rest and start again? This is called intermittent claudication, an ailment that can be progressive, but that can be treated.

According to Dr. Juliana Salas, cardiologist of the Clínica Bíblica Hospital, “this disease consists in the obstruction of the arteries by plaques that contain a large quantity of lipids, platelets and inflammatory factors.”

Arteriosclerosis of the limbs is more common in men over 45 years-old, with certain factors of cardiovascular risk such as diabetes and smoking. Generally, it is diagnosed with the clinical history of the patient and is confirmed through a Doppler ultrasound of the arteries of the lower limbs.

The specialist who treats this disease, which can be progressive, is a peripheral vascular who works for example with stents, which are small nets that open the obstructions and are placed in the legs, very similar to what is done in the cardiac catheterisms.

In many cases, this ailment is a combination of genetic factors, such as age, high cholesterol and sugar in the blood, which can contribute to this process.

“Although this pathology is linked to genetics and age, it is also important to take into account other factors like smoking, adequately controlling arterial pressure and diabetes, and complying with optimum goals of cholesterol,” commented Dr. Salas.

The ideal, as in all of these types of arteriosclerotic diseases, is to adopt healthy life styles and an optimum control of the underlying ailments. To prevent this, what is essential is to suspend smoking and have a good control of cholesterol, sugar and weight.

For further information or for requesting medical attention, please call the number 2522-1000, or write to the email citas@clinicabiblica.com or contact us via chat at the website: www.clinicabiblica.com.