The white blood cell and peripheral arterial disease

Peripheral arterial obstructive disease (PAOD) is a common cause of morbidity in middle aged men with 5% of men, over 50 years, suffering from intermittent claudication. Claudication itself does not cause death but claudicants have a mortality three times that expected, mainly from cardiovascular disease. The white blood cell has recently been implicated in the pathogenesis of PAOD. This article will examine the evidence for the involvement of the neutrophil in this increased mortality and describe the possible pathogenesis. It is possible that treatment of claudication could modify white cell responses, reducing subsequent mortality and morbidity.