Reference no: EM133849893
Question
A 75-year-old woman, K.D. visits her physician because of a 3-month history of muscle pain in her left calf after walking two blocks. The pain is relieved by rest, and she reports no other symptoms. The patient smoked one pack of cigarettes daily for 35 years, but she quit smoking 5 years before her current presentation. K. D. takes lisinopril daily for hypertension and a daily low-dose aspirin. No other medications have been prescribed.
On physical examination, the patient's blood pressure is 128/78 mm Hg, her body mass index is 25 kg/m2, and all findings are within normal except for reduced pulses in her left popliteal, posterior tibial, and dorsal pedis arteries. The results of her CBC, serum electrolytes, and liver function tests are within normal limits. Laboratory values out of normal ranges include a fasting blood glucose of 155 mg/dL, HbA1c of 8%, serum total cholesterol of 295, LDL of 160 mg/dL, and HDL of 35 mg/dL. Her serum triglycerides are 100 mg/dL (normal, <150 mg/dL).
1. How should the case patient's intermittent claudication from peripheral arterial disease (PAD) be treated?
2. What risk factors for PAD does K.D. present with?
3. What additional diagnostic tools would be of value?
4. What medications do you anticipate being ordered for K. D.?
5. What points will you include in a teaching plan for K. D.?