In patients with advanced atherosclerosis manifested by arterial occlusion in the lower extremiti- es without a baseline blood lipid disorder statin treatment caused improvement of the efficiency, i.e. prolongation of the claudication interval, while in a comparable control group without statins the efficiency deteriorated further. In patients with arterial occlusion of the lower extremities with baseline dyslipidaemia statin treatment proved protective, i.e. at least it retarded the patients´ complaints. The authors recorded improvement of the prooxidation state which followed after the dynamics of improvement of the impaired blood lipid spectrum. The results admit a possible part played by the pleiotropic effect of statins.

        Key words: Statins - Arterial occlusion of the lower extremities - Claudication interval