Management of Peripheral Arterial Occlusive Disease.

Peripheral arterial occlusive disease (PAOD) affects more than 5 million US adults. Most patients with PAOD are asymptomatic and do not present with the typical symptoms of classic intermittent claudication. Detection of asymptomatic PAOD has value because it allows for the identification of patients at increased risk for atherosclerosis at other sites. Asymptomatic PAOD patients should be aggressively treated with risk-factor reduction (aspirin, lipid-lowering medication, and blood pressure control) to protect against coronary disease and stroke as well as to slow the progression of PAOD. The medical management of moderate to severe intermittent claudication secondary to PAOD involves 3 modalities: risk-factor modification, exercise training or rehabilitation, and pharmacologic therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]