Treatment for Intermittent Claudication

Specific treatment will be determined by your physician based on:

• Your age, overall health, and medical history
• Extent of the disease
• The location of the blockage
• Your signs and symptoms
• Your tolerance for specific medications, procedures, or therapies
• Expectations for the course of the disease
• Your opinion or preference

Intermittent claudication is usually treated conservatively, with the primary goal of treatment being modification of risk factors. Treatment for intermittent claudication may include one or more of the following:

• Smoking cessation
• Exercise, preferably a walking program
• Treatment of related medical problems, such as high cholesterol, high blood pressure, and/or high blood sugar levels (glucose intolerance or type 2 diabetes). Treatment for these problems includes diet and exercise. In some cases, medication(s) may be prescribed.
• Prevention of blood clots with antiplatelet medication, such as aspirin or other medications
• Medications such as pentoxifylline or cilostazol, that may improve walking distances in some cases

For advanced cases in which pain is severe and/or blood flow has been completely or almost completely blocked, an invasive procedure such as angioplasty (a catheter is used to create a larger opening in the vessel to increase blood flow), stent placement (a tiny coil is expanded inside the blocked artery to open the blocked area and is left in place to keep the artery open), or surgery may be needed to open the blocked artery.

In a small percentage of cases where all other treatments have not been effective, amputation of the affected limb may be necessary. Patients who smoke or who have diabetes are at increased risk for poor outcomes in treating intermittent claudication.

Prevention of intermittent claudication

Because many persons who have intermittent claudication also have atherosclerotic disease such as peripheral arterial disease, coronary artery disease, and/or blockages of the carotid artery (carotid stenosis), aggressively modifying risk factors for atherosclerosis can help prevent intermittent claudication. Treating high blood pressure and high low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, as well as maintaining low levels of high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol and triglycerides may reduce risk. Walking may also help.

A prevention plan for intermittent claudication may also be used to prevent or lessen the progress of PAD associated with intermittent claudication once it has been diagnosed. Consult your physician for diagnosis and treatment.