腿抽筋可能是心脏病发作的早期征兆

腿抽筋可能是心脏病发作的早期征兆

Many people shrug off leg pain when they walk as a normal part of aging.

许多人在走路时对腿痛不以为意，认为这是衰老的正常表现。

However, it can be a sign of something much more serious, experts have warned.

然而，专家警告说，这可能是一个更严重的迹象。

Doctors said that leg pain can, in some cases, be an early warning sign of a deadly stroke or heart attack.

医生说，在某些情况下，腿痛可能是致命中风或心脏病发作的早期预警信号。

This is because cramps can be a marker of peripheral artery disease (PAD), which can put heart and brain health at risk.

这是因为抽筋可能是外周动脉疾病(pad)的一个标志，它会危及心脏和大脑的健康。

People with PAD feel pain because of the fatty deposits in the arteries of the leg which block blood flow to the muscles, as well as the arteries supporting the heart and brain.

患有外周动脉疾病的人会感到疼痛，因为腿部动脉中的脂肪沉积会阻碍流向肌肉的血液，以及支撑心脏和大脑的动脉。

This makes a person with PAD far more likely to have a heart attack or a stroke than someone without the condition.

这使得有pad的人比没有pad的人更容易患心脏病或中风。

Professor David Newby, British Heart Foundation Professor of Cardiology, said: “If you get a gripping, cramping sensation in your calves when you are walking, it might be worth seeing your doctor, as that can be a marker of PAD (peripheral arterial disease).

英国心脏基金会教授、心脏病专家David Newby教授说：“如果你走路时小腿有一种紧缩、抽筋的感觉，那你最好去看医生，因为这可能是一种外周动脉疾病的征兆。”

“It’s most common in smokers and people who have diabetes.”

“这在吸烟者和糖尿病患者中最为常见。”

While doctors used to think PAD mainly affected men, research has recently revealed that the condition is just as common in women.

虽然医生过去认为pad主要影响男性，但最近的研究表明，这种情况在女性中同样常见。

It affects one in every ten women over the age of 50 and one in every five over the age of 60, according to Dr. Aruna Pradhan, a cardiologist and assistant professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School.

据哈佛医学院的心脏病专家和医学助理教授阿鲁纳·普拉丹博士说，每10名50岁以上的女性中就有一人患此病，每5名60岁以上的女性中就有一人患此病。

However, it’s more likely to occur as people get older or among people who smoke or have high blood pressure, high cholesterol or diabetes.

然而，随着年龄的增长，吸烟、高血压、高胆固醇或糖尿病的人群中，更容易出现这种情况。