Intermittent claudication in older patients. Practical treatment guidelines

The prevalence of intermittent claudication (IC) increases with age; when questioned, older patients consider increased difficulty in walking to be a normal consequence of aging. Although the prognosis for the involved limb with IC is relatively good, IC is an important clinical predictor of increased cardiovascular mortality. It is important to effect a minimal strategy for determining the presence of lesions in different vascular regions: carotids, coronaries, aorta and renal arteries. The goals for the treatment of IC in the elderly are to improve the walking distance and quality of life and to increase survival. Practical guidelines for the treatment of IC are to first establish a correct diagnosis. Then, patients have to apply life-style modifications and participate in an exercise programme, with the next treatment step involving the use of antiplatelet drugs. However, it must be remembered that older patients could have limitations on exercise; in such cases, a vasoactive drug should be considered. The third guideline consists of multifocal evaluation of the arteries, specifically the coronaries, carotids and abdominal aorta. The existence of an iliac obstruction or stenosis requires consideration of the 2 last guidelines. In more than 75% of cases, elderly patients have femoropopliteal or distal arterial obstructions: exercise and a vasoactive drug should be employed in these instances. The presence of iliac lesions has to be discussed in the presence of a multidisciplinary team in a vascular centre, and should consider the usefulness of percutaneous transluminal angioplasty or surgery.