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Biochemical and inflammatory changes in the exercising claudicant
1Department of Vascular Surgery, Southampton General Hospital, UK.
Vascular Medicine (London, England)
|January 19, 1999
Summary
Intermittent claudication, an early sign of atherosclerosis, involves an inflammatory response. Exercise training may reduce these inflammatory markers, suggesting it
Area of Science:
- Vascular biology and cardiovascular disease research.
Background:
- Intermittent claudication is an early manifestation of peripheral artery disease (PAD) and atherosclerosis.
- Patients with intermittent claudication face increased cardiovascular morbidity and mortality.
- Calf pain during walking and subsequent rest in claudicants induces a low-grade inflammatory response.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review literature on exercise-induced inflammatory responses in intermittent claudication.
- To determine the role of cumulative inflammation in atherosclerosis progression.
- To explore the effect of exercise training on inflammatory markers in claudicants.
Main Methods:
- Literature review of studies measuring exercise-induced inflammatory markers in intermittent claudication patients.
- Analysis of baseline inflammatory markers and their correlation with atherosclerosis progression.
- Examination of the impact of therapeutic exercise training on these markers.
Main Results:
- Walking-rest cycles in claudicants generate free radicals, activate neutrophils, and increase vascular permeability.
- Elevated baseline levels of chronic inflammatory markers (e.g., acute-phase proteins) are observed in claudicants.
- Therapeutic exercise training shows potential in attenuating these inflammatory markers.
Conclusions:
- Intermittent claudication may be viewed as part of an inflammatory disease process.
- Exercise training appears to reduce inflammatory markers without exacerbating vascular inflammation.
- Exercise training is a viable and important treatment option for intermittent claudication.