A Comparison Between Aspirin and Pentoxifylline in Relieving Claudication Due to Peripheral Vascular Disease in the Elderly

Peripheral vascular disease (PVD) commonly presents with leg claudication during walking and eventually limits the walking distance and daily activities. Aspirin or pentox ifylline are commonly prescribed to improve blood flow. Aspirin works through its antiplatelet aggregation mechanism, and pentoxifylline increases the red blood cell flex ibility, which leads to increased tissue perfusion. Data on comparative studies of these drugs for improving claudication in the elderly are limited. The objective of this study was to compare pain relief offered by either aspirin or pentoxifylline for walking leg pain in the elderly with PVD.Patients sixty-five years or older with claudication were randomly assigned to receive aspirin or pentoxifylline. Their reported level of walking claudication pain with use of the visual analogue scale (0-5) and the distance walked during exercises were recorded. Six weeks later the same parameters were recorded and results were compared with Student's t test, and a P value less t...