What is Low ischaemia of the limb?
Lower ischaemia of the limb is impaired blood flow to the leg. No symptoms may be caused by mild impairment. More significant blood flow limitation allows sufficient blood to rest in the leg, but not enough during exercise; this causes intermittent claudicating, painful cramping pain in the walking muscles. The severely restricted blood flow of the arteries causes pain in rest and progresses to ulcers and gangrene.
Classification of Chronic Lower Limb Ischaemia
The lower limb ischaemia is classified by severity (classification of La Fontaine).
(1) Symptomatic intermittent
(2) Claudicating
(3) Rest pain
(4) Ulceration/gangrene
The vast majority of lower limb ischemia in the west is caused by atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries). The presence of limb ischaemia in a younger adult should lead to the search for causes of accelerated atherosclerosis and less common causes of lower limb ischaemia.
(1) Aortic dissection
(2) Aneurysms
(3)Acceleratedatherosclerosis(hyperlipidaemia, hyperhomocysteinemia, AIDS)
(4) Berger’s disease (common in male smokers in the middle / Far East)
(5) Popliteal Entrapment (seen in athletes and untreated to permanent arterial damage)