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A Word with the
Doctor by Dr
John Winsor
March 18, 2001 (The Sunday
Times of Malta)
The patient first complains of aching
legs after exercise.
It may be slight,
but gradually becomes more pronounced.
Then the pain is not merely
an ache, but a definite, crippling
cramp, which can become so severe that the patient
finds he or she cannot stand after much
walking.
Intermittent claudication is caused by the
narrowing of the
arteries and often starts in the 30s. It generally
means that the arteries everywhere in the body have
become narrowed and blood cannot reach
the muscles fast enough when they are in
use. The heart muscles may be equally affected.
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