The development of fatty plaques in the renal arteries can cause hypertension and kidney failure, whereas blockage of an artery in the leg can cause peripheral vascular disease marked by severe pain (called claudication) and ulcerations of the skin. Although nearly everyone is prone to some degree of atherosclerosis, there are several risk factors that seem to accelerate the disease process. They include age, genetic predisposition, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, high blood cholesterol level, cigarette smoking, obesity, poor physical fitness, and "type A" personality. The confluence of many of these risk factors in older adults makes complications of atherosclerosis more prevalent in this age group.