Peripheral artery disease, or PAD, is a serious cardiovascular disease that can lead to gangrene, amputations, a heart attack or stroke, if not treated properly. The early symptoms of this condition can be very general and not attributed to a heart condition. If you recognize the signs and symptoms of PAD, see your doctor right away. The earlier you start treatment, the better your chances of avoiding serious complications. In the later stages, you may need medication or surgery. In the early stages, lifestyle changes may be enough. Know your risk factors and reduce the ones you can.
Identification
If the blood vessels in any area of your body develop progressive thickening and hardening due to fat deposits on their inner lining, your risk for heart disease rises. If you have PAD, it means that plaque is building up along the walls of the arteries in your legs, according to the American Heart Association. Initially this reduces blood flow to the kidneys, stomach, arms, legs and feet. If not treated properly, the blood flow to the heart and brain can become restricted as well. If you have PAD, you may also have atherosclerosis in other blood vessels in the body. In some people, PAD is the first sign of coronary artery disease.
Symptoms
PAD often causes symptoms that are not automatically associated with a heart condition. In the early stages, there may be no symptoms at all. This can delay diagnosis and treatment. In most cases, the first sign is a cramping, heaviness or weakness in the lower legs during activity or exertion. The medical term for this symptom is intermittent claudication. This sensation usually resolves with rest and may be disregarded as muscle weakness or being out of shape. According to the Society for Vascular Surgery website, this discomfort can also radiate to the hips, buttocks, thighs and knees. Over time the leg cramping and pain become worse and may occur even at rest. Any unexplained or new pain should always be evaluated by your physician. As the arteries become more closed off, you may develop high blood pressure. If your lower legs and feet do not get enough blood and oxygen, you may start to develop sores. These sores can eventually turn dry, gray or black and develop into gangrene.
Risk Factors
The National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute reports that smoking, which damages blood vessels in all areas of the body, is a major risk factor for PAD. Your risk also increases with age, especially if you are 50 or older. Diabetes can cause physical damage to your blood vessels if your blood sugar levels are not well controlled. Having high blood pressure, high cholesterol or another form of heart disease also puts you at a greater risk. Certain lifestyle choices such as being overweight and sedentary and making poor nutritional choices are risk factors that can be changed to help prevent and/or manage this condition.
Diagnosis
To help properly diagnose PAD, your doctor will review your history of symptoms, go over your risk factors and ask about any family history of heart disease. Medications you are taking that can cause similar symptoms will be explored. Your physician will check the pulse in your legs and use a stethoscope to listen to your arteries for any abnormal blood flow sounds. The ankle-brachial index, or ABI, test may also be used. This involves taking your blood pressure in your arm and your leg and comparing the two. This shows if there is less pressure in the legs. If the difference is from 0.9 to 1.3, then the blood pressure is about equal and means that blood flow is good. A difference of 0.41 to 0.9 may signal PAD, while 0.4 or below may signal severe peripheral arterial disease. In addition, if just one leg is affected, the temperature of that leg will be much cooler than the other leg's temperature. There are additional scans and images your doctor can order to help confirm a diagnosis if the above tests suggest PAD.
Prevention/Solution
The same steps you would take to prevent any kind of heart disease can be used to protect yourself against PAD. If you have already been diagnosed, these same steps can reduce your risk of complications. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommend eating a diet high in fruits and vegetables and limiting your intake of fat, cholesterol and salt. Maintaining a healthy weight, body mass index and waist-to-hip ratio can reduce your risk of all types of heart disease, including PAD. Regular moderate levels of exercise on most days of the week can help to control your blood pressure and cholesterol levels. Part of your prevention plan also needs to include getting screened on a regular basis. This means checking your blood pressure and cholesterol levels, both of which can be high without causing symptoms. Regular screenings can help you to catch problems early and take preventive steps before PAD even has a chance to develop.
