You could be suffering from peripheral aorta disease (PAD), a condition in which arteries are narrowed, causing less blood to flow to the lower body and legs.

National Heart Institute (IJN) department of cardiology head Datuk Dr Rosli Mohd Ali said PAD often went undetected or could even be misdiagnosed.

He said about 45 per cent of PAD patients were diabetic, where in severe cases their legs became gangrenous and had to be amputated. PAD could also lead to kidney failure and stroke.

Dr Rosli said the symptoms of this disease were cramps in the thighs and buttocks. Diabetic patients would normally have these cramps on the lower part of their legs.

Dr Rosli was speaking at the IJN Health News Reporting Workshop, where journalists gathered to discuss health-related issues. The workshop ended yesterday.

IJN chief executive officer Mohd Radzif Mohd Yunus, in a dialogue session at the workshop, said foreigners made up one per cent of the total patients at IJN.

"The current ratio is 85 per cent government patients, including their dependants and pensioners, 14 per cent private patients and one foreigner. In five years, we hope to make it 80:15:5 or 70:20:10," he said.