Some elderly people often feel weakness in their limbs, are easily fatigued, or experience coldness and numbness in their limbs. After walking a little, some may also experience intermittent claudication; they may feel weakness, soreness, or pain in the calves or feet, which disappears after rest. Some may even experience persistent pain in the toes, feet, or calves without any physical activity. The pain becomes more severe at night, often causing them to sit on the bed holding their feet due to the inability to sleep through the night. The skin color of the toes, feet, and calves may also appear abnormal—pale, purplish, or blackened. In severe cases, ulcers or necrosis may develop. People often mistakenly attribute these symptoms to thromboangiitis obliterans (Buerger's disease). In fact, these are symptoms of arteriosclerotic occlusive disease in the elderly.
Arteriosclerosis is a common disease among the elderly. Atherosclerotic plaques that block the coronary arteries can cause myocardial infarction, while blocking the arteries supplying the limbs causes ischemia in the affected limb, known as arteriosclerotic occlusive disease. Most patients with this condition are men aged between 50 and 70 years old. According to epidemiological statistics, the incidence ratio between men and women is 6:1. Arteriosclerotic occlusion of the upper limbs is rare, but it is more common in the lower limbs. Due to this, it is often mistaken for thromboangiitis obliterans, which is also a chronic occlusive disease of the limb arteries. Although both diseases result in chronic occlusion of the limb arteries...