Diagnosis of smoker’s leg
The smoker’s leg is first diagnosed based on the symptoms. Thus, the smoker’s status can already be determined in an anamnesis (questioning of the affected person). In addition, complaints such as a shortened walking distance and pain in the legs under stress are also asked.
To assess the blood circulation, the pulse is measured on both legs and feet. In addition, the flow rate of the blood can be measured with an ultrasound device. The smoker’s leg is divided into four stages.
Stage I refers to a condition in which the vessels have already been damaged, but there are no symptoms yet. In stage II, due to the circulatory disorders, the walking distance is greatly reduced to a few 100 meters. If pain also occurs at rest, one is in stage III. In stage IV, tissue death (necrosis) occurs and bacterial infections of the leg are also possible.
Smoker’s Lung
The smoker’s lung develops over years of smoking. Tobacco smoke contains many substances that the body cannot break down. These settle in the lungs and damage the tissue.
This leads to a chronic inflammatory process in the lungs. A smoker’s lung is characterized by the fact that those affected often have to cough because the body tries to get rid of the harmful substances. An increased susceptibility to respiratory infections is also typical. Later on, there is shortness of breath, which can occur even at low levels of exposure.
