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What Causes Pain And Weakness In Legs When Diagnosed With Blocked Arteries?
Question: I have blocked arteries that have calcium, blockage, would this make my legs hurt and feel week?
while on treed mill, I'm out of breath, my heart rate is 94. at a slow walk
while on treed mill, I'm out of breath, my heart rate is 94. at a slow walk
Brief Answer:
I would explain as follows:
Detailed Answer:
Hello!
Welcome and thank you for asking on HCM!
Regarding your concern I would explain that atherosclerosis is a generalized degenerative process affecting all the arteries in your body. It leads to progressive vessel narrowing, thus leading to decreased blood flow and tissue ischemia (myocardial ischemia, muscular ischemia or brain ischemia).
When this process affects the vessels which supply blood to the inferior limbs (also called peripheral arteriopathy), it leads to leg pain, which is usually length dependent (it is more prominent while walking in long distances and causes the person to stop walking because of the leg pain and weakness).
Regarding your shortness of breath and increased heart rate while physical exertion, they could indicate possible coronary artery disease (which means atherosclerosis of coronary arteries).
Coming to this point, considering your symptoms, I would recommend consulting with your attending physician and performing some tests to examine the blood flow in your legs and heart:
- a resting ECG and cardiac ultrasound to examine your cardiac function and structure
- a cardiac stress test to investigate for possible coronary artery disease
- a Doppler ultrasound of the leg vessels to rule in/out possible peripheral artheriopathy.
- some blood lab tests (fasting glucose for diabetes, blood lipid profile for your cholesterol levels, liver and kidney function tests, blood electrolytes).
Further tests may be needed (coronary angio CT scan or coronary angiography) if suspicions of coronary artery disease are raised.
You should discuss with your doctor on the above issues.
Hope to have been helpful!
Kind regards,
Dr. Iliri
I would explain as follows:
Detailed Answer:
Hello!
Welcome and thank you for asking on HCM!
Regarding your concern I would explain that atherosclerosis is a generalized degenerative process affecting all the arteries in your body. It leads to progressive vessel narrowing, thus leading to decreased blood flow and tissue ischemia (myocardial ischemia, muscular ischemia or brain ischemia).
When this process affects the vessels which supply blood to the inferior limbs (also called peripheral arteriopathy), it leads to leg pain, which is usually length dependent (it is more prominent while walking in long distances and causes the person to stop walking because of the leg pain and weakness).
Regarding your shortness of breath and increased heart rate while physical exertion, they could indicate possible coronary artery disease (which means atherosclerosis of coronary arteries).
Coming to this point, considering your symptoms, I would recommend consulting with your attending physician and performing some tests to examine the blood flow in your legs and heart:
- a resting ECG and cardiac ultrasound to examine your cardiac function and structure
- a cardiac stress test to investigate for possible coronary artery disease
- a Doppler ultrasound of the leg vessels to rule in/out possible peripheral artheriopathy.
- some blood lab tests (fasting glucose for diabetes, blood lipid profile for your cholesterol levels, liver and kidney function tests, blood electrolytes).
Further tests may be needed (coronary angio CT scan or coronary angiography) if suspicions of coronary artery disease are raised.
You should discuss with your doctor on the above issues.
Hope to have been helpful!
Kind regards,
Dr. Iliri
Note: For further queries related to coronary artery disease and prevention, click here.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
Answered by
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