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Intermittent claudication: an overview
Ashwinkumar V Meru1, Shivani Mittra, Baskaran Thyagarajan
1New Drug Discovery Research, Department of Pharmacology, Ranbaxy Laboratories Limited, R&D, Plot 20, Sector 18, Udyog Vihar Industrial Area, Gurgaon 122001, Haryana, India. ashwinkumar.meru@ranbaxy.com
Atherosclerosis
|January 3, 2006
Summary
Intermittent claudication (IC), a symptom of peripheral arterial disease (PAD), causes leg pain during exercise. Emerging treatments like levocarnitine aim to improve walking ability and quality of life for PAD patients.
Area of Science:
- Vascular Medicine
- Pharmacology
- Exercise Physiology
Background:
- Intermittent claudication (IC) is a primary symptom of peripheral arterial disease (PAD), characterized by leg pain during exertion due to insufficient blood supply.
- PAD significantly impairs quality of life and is linked to increased cardiovascular risks, including mortality and stroke.
- IC serves as a critical indicator of systemic atherosclerosis, with many patients exhibiting concurrent coronary or carotid disease.
Purpose of the Study:
- To provide a comprehensive review of the pathophysiology, diagnosis, and treatment of intermittent claudication.
- To discuss existing and emerging pharmacotherapies for IC, focusing on symptomatic relief and reduction of cardiovascular complications.
- To highlight the role of novel agents like levocarnitine in improving exercise performance and quality of life in IC patients.
Main Methods:
- Literature review of pathophysiology and diagnostic methods for IC.
- Analysis of current therapeutic interventions, including exercise therapy and risk factor management.
- Evaluation of emerging pharmacotherapies, such as statins, ACE inhibitors, anti-platelet agents, and growth factors.
- Specific focus on the mechanism and efficacy of levocarnitine and propionyl levocarnitine in IC treatment.
Main Results:
- Exercise therapy is a highly effective conservative treatment for IC.
- Pharmacotherapeutic strategies aim to enhance walking capacity and reduce amputation rates.
- Emerging agents, including levocarnitine, show promise in improving pain-free walking distance and quality of life by targeting muscle metabolism.
Conclusions:
- Effective management of IC requires aggressive non-pharmacological approaches and pharmacological treatment of associated risk factors.
- Upcoming clinical trials will provide further insights into the efficacy of atherosclerosis-modifying drugs and novel agents for IC.
- Levocarnitine and its derivatives represent a promising therapeutic avenue for improving functional capacity and quality of life in patients with intermittent claudication.