Mortality and Morbidity in Patients with Intermittent Claudication in Relation to the Location of the Occlusive Atherosclerosis in the Leg

Mortality and morbidity from cerebrovascular and coronary arterial disease over a period of six years were studied in 224 non-diabetic patients with intermittent claudication. Patients with multiple arterial stenoses in the leg had a lower six-year survival than patients with single stenoses (55% versus 77%), with a higher mortality from cardiac deaths. These differences were still significant after adjustment for differences in clinical characteristics at the initial examination. This might indicate that patients with multiple arterial stenoses in the legs have a more widespread and more progressive atherosclerotic disease.