Which signs are associated with intermittent vascular claudication due to arterial disease?

Which signs are associated with intermittent vascular claudication due to arterial disease?

• A. Shiny, hairless skin on legs, reduced skin temperature, slow healing of wounds
• B. Swollen ankles with pitting edema
• C. Varicose veins
• D. Hyperpigmentation with warmth

Answer: (A)

Peripheral arterial disease causes reduced blood flow to the legs, so signs reflect arterial insufficiency and tissue ischemia. The described features—shiny, hairless skin on the legs, cooler skin temperature, and slow or poor wound healing—are classic indicators of chronic limb ischemia from arterial disease and help explain intermittent claudication during activity. Swollen ankles with pitting edema point to fluid accumulation, which is more typical of venous insufficiency or heart failure. Varicose veins likewise reflect venous valvular incompetence. Hyperpigmentation with warmth is not characteristic of arterial ischemia; hyperpigmentation can occur with venous stasis, and warmth suggests inflammation or infection rather than under-perfusion from arterial disease.

Peripheral arterial disease causes reduced blood flow to the legs, so signs reflect arterial insufficiency and tissue ischemia. The described features—shiny, hairless skin on the legs, cooler skin temperature, and slow or poor wound healing—are classic indicators of chronic limb ischemia from arterial disease and help explain intermittent claudication during activity.

Swollen ankles with pitting edema point to fluid accumulation, which is more typical of venous insufficiency or heart failure. Varicose veins likewise reflect venous valvular incompetence. Hyperpigmentation with warmth is not characteristic of arterial ischemia; hyperpigmentation can occur with venous stasis, and warmth suggests inflammation or infection rather than under-perfusion from arterial disease.