Claudication

Legend has it that the term claudication was given after the Roman Emperor Claudius, who would walk for a short distance, then stop and stand before he would start walking again. Etymologically, claudication is derived from the Latin verb claudicare, which means to limp. In 1858, Jean Martin Charcot described pain in the lower extremities resulting from arterial insufficiency. Intermittent claudication can inhibit walking, and cause limping due to ischemia of the lower extremity unilaterally or bilaterally. The most common cause of lower extremity ischemia is peripheral arterial disease of the major arteries supplying the legs and feet. Lower extremity ischemia may also progress to severe limb-threatening ischemia with symptoms and physical signs at rest as well. A detailed complete history should be obtained from every patient, middle-aged and the elderly, before the diagnosis of claudication is made. Vascular claudication under the age of 45 years is rare.