American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Vol 27, 1179-1181, Copyright © 1974 by The American Society for Clinical Nutrition, Inc.

Long-time treatment of intermittent claudication with vitamin E

¹ From the Department of Vascular, Surgery, Allmänna Sjukhuset, Malmö, Sweden

47 male patients (mean age 67, range 43 to 82 years) were followed during 2 to 5 years at intervals of 3-6 months. All patients fulfilled the following criteria: 1) total occlusion of femoral or femoropopliteal arteries; 2) intermittent claudication of at least grade 2; 3) an arterial flow to the lower leg of maximum 14 ml/100 g per min. Venous occlusion plethysmography and a standardized walking test were performed with intervals of 4 to 7 months. The series was divided in one group receiving d--tocopherol and one control group. In the control group the alternative therapy was either dicoumarin treatment or vasodilator drugs. Otherwise the series was similarly treated as regards exercise, diet, and the like. It was shown that there was a significant difference in the improvement of the walking test, the -tocopherol group showing better results after 4-6 months (0.001 < P < 0.01). Fifty-four percent of the treated group reached the test limit of 1,000 m uninterrupted walking distance, as compared to 23% in the control group. Also the arterial flow was significantly better in the treated group. This improvement, however, did not appear until about 12 to 18 months after the start of the treatment. After a period of 20 to 25 months the arterial flow to the lower leg increased with approximately 34%, whereas no change was noted in the control group. There were no side reactions worthy of remark. The conclusion is that administration of -tocopherol is a valuable adjunct in the treatment of intermittent claudication in occlusive arterial disease of the leg.