At what age do you get a smoker’s leg?
When a smoker’s leg develops is less dependent on the age of the affected person, but more on the duration and quantity of cigarette consumption. Although age, blood pressure, eating habits, stress, etc. play a role in the development of the smoker’s leg, smoking is the main contributor. Normally, the peak of the disease is about 70 years for a PADK that is not caused by smoking. However, smokers can develop the disease at the age of 30 or 40.
These can be early signs of a smoker’s leg
There are many early warning signs for the smoker’s leg, which already indicate disturbed blood circulation. These include, for example, a severe callus formation, as well as particularly dry skin on the lower legs and feet. The circulatory disorder can also manifest itself in the form of cold feet and a rather pale / bluish skin color.
At the latest when the musculature (e.g. the calves) hurts under stress, this is a warning sign. The smoker’s leg is particularly noticeable through its stress-related pain, which is due to the fact that the muscles are not sufficiently supplied with blood or oxygen during exercise. In addition, the lack of blood circulation can also damage the tissue, so that open skin areas can easily develop.
These typically heal very slowly and can easily become infected. In the advanced stage, the tissue dies and turns black. The toes are virtually the end of the legs, so the blood has to travel the longest distance to reach them.
In the case of circulatory disorders, the symptoms are therefore often felt particularly early on the toes. The toes quickly become cold and pale, and disturbances of sensation and open skin areas can also occur on the toes. In addition, the low blood circulation can disturb the growth of the toenails.
The pain of a smoker’s leg at the beginning of the disease is due to the poor blood supply to the muscles. Therefore, pain initially occurs mainly during physical exertion. Later on, they can already become noticeable at rest.
The open areas of skin on the legs can also cause pain, especially when they become inflamed.Over time, however, the pain-conducting nerve fibers are also damaged, resulting in less pain sensitivity in the legs. The final stage of the smoker’s leg is characterized by gangrene and necrosis. Necrosis means that the tissue dies off.
In the case of the smoker’s leg, this occurs due to the deposited toxins and poor blood circulation. As a rule, the spots turn dark to black. Gangrene is another term for such tissue necrosis.
A distinction is made between wet (infected with bacteria) and dry (leathery) gangrene. The open leg is caused by the fact that the skin and underlying tissue of the smoker’s leg cannot be sufficiently supplied with nutrients. In addition, the waste products of the metabolism are not removed from there, so that they are deposited and additionally damage the tissue. The resulting open sores often develop into ulcers because the body cannot close them quickly.
