Research Reviews

This section provides information about scientific studies on vascular disease. By listing these studies, the Vascular Disease Foundation and any sponsors are not endorsing the studies, the study center, the study sponsor, or the treatments and disclaim, either explicitly or implicitly, that the drug, biologic or device listed here is safe or effective for the purposes under investigation, or that the test article is known to be equivalent or superior to any other drug, biologic, or device. Additionally, no claims are made regarding the scientific utility and conduct of clinical trials or research studies listed. For more information about trials, visit www.vdf.org and click on "Clinical Trial," or contact us at 1-888-VDF-4INFO.

Leg Hurt Study. Research Study Seeking Participants Who Experience Painful Walking "My legs are killing me!"

You may think this is only an expression, but if you have leg pain that feels like an ache, burning, cramping, or tiredness, you may be experiencing claudication, one of the primary symptoms of peripheral arterial disease (PAD). And PAD increases your risk of heart attack, stroke, and death.

Current treatments for PAD and claudication include surgery, angioplasty, and exercise. Only two medications are currently available to reduce claudication, and these do not always provide pain-free walking.

Three recent studies have shown that cholesterol-modifying medications may diminish claudication symptoms. However, there is still too little information available to prove that this is a reliable and safe new treatment. A national research study is underway to determine if using this type of medicine can safely and effectively treat claudication.

For all research studies, the patient and his or her physician should discuss the benefits and risks of participation. For this study, only people 40 years or older with claudication symptoms from PAD for at least six months may qualify to participate. Participation involves study-related medical screening and provides investigational study medication and study-related exams at no cost. The national contact number for this study is 1-866-LEG-HURT, or prospective subjects can visit the study Web site at www.leghurt.com.