What is claudication, and who is at risk for claudication?

Claudication is most often due to atherosclerosis forming in the arteries that carry blood to the legs. This is pretty much the same as when atherosclerosis forms in the arteries that supply the heart. The buildup of cholesterol in the walls of one or more arteries slows the flow of blood through the arteries in both conditions. The muscles that depend on this blood flow complain by causing pain when they are not getting enough oxygen to do their work. When the arteries supplying the legs are significantly narrowed, the main symptom is pain in the calf muscles, which is known as “claudication. Atherosclerosis in the arteries supplying the legs happens in people with the same risk factors that cause atherosclerosis in the heart — smoking, high cholesterol, hypertension, and diabetes lead the list.