The evaluation of adaptation to life of patients with atherosclerosis of the lower limb arteries

Aim of the study: Atherosclerosis is a major cause of chronic ischaemia of lower limbs. Patients with the disease have increasing difficulty in performing simple activities in daily life.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the adaptation to life of patients with atherosclerosis of the lower limb arteries.

Material and methods: The research included 50 patients with atherosclerosis of the lower limb arteries hospitalised in the Department of Vascular Surgery and Angiology at University Hospital Number 1 in Bydgoszcz.

The research was conducted with the use of a questionnaire of our own design, consisting of questions relating to ways of adaptation to daily life of patients with lower limb atherosclerosis.

Results: Most respondents (42.0%) coped with the pain by taking painkillers. It cannot be concluded that patients with atherosclerosis had bad eating habits. A lack of motivation was the main cause of the failure of stop smoking by the majority of respondents. More than half of the respondents (56.5%) said that the disease had not had any impact on their family relationships. Almost three-quarters of them stated that they were physically active, and half of them had performed exercises every day. Most patients with lower limb atherosclerosis declared that they complied with medical recommendations.

Conclusions: Lower limb pain often makes patients take painkillers, but they do not limit their physical activity. Patients with lower limb atherosclerosis are able to adapt to daily life.