Intermittent claudication and endothelial dysfunction

The endothelium regulates homeostasis in healthy blood vessels. When affected by injurious stimuli it becomes dysfunctional. thus eliciting changes that predispose to atherosclerosis. Patients with intermittent claudication show a systemic endothelial dysfunction that may result from a variety of factors. In particular, inflammation could play a key role because, in claudicants, endothelial dysfunction negatively correlates with plasma levels of high-sensitivity C-reactive protein. an acute-phase reactant. Future studies will clarify whether interventions that improve endothelial function will improve the clinical outcome of patients with peripheral arterial disease by reducing their cardiovascular risk. (C) 2002 The European Society of Cardiology.