Legs Aging First"—Beware of Lower Extremity Arterial Occlusive Disease (ASO)

Legs Aging First"—Beware of Lower Extremity Arterial Occlusive Disease (ASO)

Lower extremity arterial occlusive disease (ASO) is a peripheral artery disease caused by the formation of atherosclerotic plaques in the lower extremity arteries, leading to narrowing and blockage of the blood vessels and resulting in chronic ischemia. The most common early symptom of ASO is intermittent claudication, characterized by calf muscle soreness and fatigue after walking a certain distance, which is relieved after rest, only to reappear after walking the same distance again. As the disease progresses, patients experience pain even at rest, most pronounced during sleep at night. If ischemia worsens, even basic metabolic needs cannot be met, leading to nutritional deficiencies in the distal extremities, such as cold toes, and eventually ulceration and gangrene. Therefore, early prevention and treatment of ASO are crucial.

Treatment of lower extremity arterial occlusive disease involves multiple aspects, including lifestyle modifications, control of risk factors, planned exercise, medication, and interventional therapy.
① Lifestyle modifications and risk factor control: Strictly quit smoking, maintain a low-salt, low-fat, and light diet, maintain moderate exercise, actively control blood pressure, blood sugar, and blood lipids, pay attention to foot care, avoid skin damage and injuries to the feet, such as keeping feet warm in winter and avoiding washing feet with excessively hot water.
② Drug treatment:
a. Antiplatelet drugs: Commonly used drugs include aspirin and clopidogrel, which can prevent thrombosis, protect vascular endothelial cells, dilate blood vessels, and improve blood circulation.
b. Lipid-lowering drugs: Mainly statins, which can significantly reduce the levels of total cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein in the blood.
c. Vasodilators: Such as cilostazol. In addition, the American Heart Association and the American College of Cardiology's "Management of Patients with Lower Extremity Peripheral Artery Disease" indicate that pentoxifylline can be recommended for patients with lower extremity peripheral artery disease to dilate peripheral blood vessels, improve microcirculation, and relieve symptoms of lower extremity ischemia.
③ Interventional therapy: This is the preferred method for treating lower extremity arteriosclerosis. Common endovascular techniques include percutaneous balloon angioplasty, stent implantation, plaque resection, and thrombolysis.