Peripheral artery disease (PAD), also known claudication or leg artery disease, is a common circulatory system disorder that occurs when arteries in the lower extremities are blocked. Specifically, narrowed arteries restrict blood flow to the legs and, consequently, the legs do not get sufficient oxygen. Leg pain may occur during walking and may extend as far up as the hips. This disease requires medical attention to prevent its progression.
Intermittent Claudication
PAD develops with the aging process and, according to the Society for Vascular Surgery (SVS), one in three people age 70 or older has it. Early on, an individual may be asymptomatic. However, when symptoms appear, the most common one that patients describe is intermittent claudication (IC). IC is pain experienced in the legs when walking or exercising that, at first, may dissipate with rest. The specific region that's painful usually indicates the location of arterial occlusion. However, calf pain is reported most frequently. The Mayo Clinic reports that 1 out of 10 may experience the symptom of pain. Other symptoms of IC include tightness or cramping and heavy or weak sensations in the extremity during activity. The more rigorous the activity, the more pronounced the symptoms.
Additional Symptoms
Other possible symptoms of the lower extremities are numbness or weakness in the affected leg, colder temperature of the affected leg, a color change in the affected leg, and hair loss on the affected leg and possibly the foot.
Severe Symptoms
Severe PAD may produce a symptom known as critical limb ischemia, which occurs when the leg suffers from insufficient oxygen. This symptom can occur at rest and produce pain that radiates to the feet and toes. Another symptom of advanced PAD, according to SVS, is painful sores on your toes or feet that can begin as dry, gray or black sores. Without medical intervention, these sores lead to dead tissue (gangrene) and, in extreme cases, amputation.
References
- Society for Vascular Surgery
- Mayo Clinic
- Braunwald's Heart Disease: A Textbook of Cardiovascular Medicine, 8th ed.; Peter Libby and Mark A. Creager; 2007
