What is Peripheral Artery Disease?

 Peripheral Artery Disease, also called Peripheral Arterial Disease (PAD), is a fairly common condition of the arteries in the arms and legs.  The condition is characterized by a narrowing of the arteries, most commonly of the legs, which reduces blood flow to the effected area.  According to the American Heart Association, about 8 million Americans are affected by PAD, and by age 65, up to twenty percent of the population may have it. 

The most common symptom of peripheral arterial disease is pain and/or cramping of the leg muscles while walking.  This pain will go away with rest, but then returns when activity starts again.  The most commonly effected muscles are the calf muscles and the hip muscles.  Other symptoms of PAD include numbness or weakness of the leg, coldness of one leg when compared to the other leg, changes in skin coloring, hair pattern, or toenails, and sores on the toes, feet or legs that won’t heal. 

Peripheral arterial disease is most commonly caused by atherosclerosis.  Atherosclerosis is when plaques, or fatty deposits, build up on the walls of the arteries.  This causes the arteries to narrow, leading to the symptoms of PAD.  Atherosclerosis is often discussed as it relates to the heart, but peripheral arterial disease should always be brought up in the atherosclerosis conversation.  This is because plaque build up of the arteries usually does affect the arteries throughout the entire body. 

People with diabetes or those who smoke are at a particularly high risk for developing peripheral arterial disease.  Also at high risk are people with high blood pressure or high cholesterol.  Risk factors also include obesity, a family history of peripheral arterial disease or other heart/vascular disease, and increasing age.  PAD increases the risk of heart attack and stroke.

PAD may be diagnosed by your doctor using a number of methods.  Your doctor will often listen with a stethoscope to the arteries, listening for a whooshing sound (known as bruits).  This sound gives your doctor a clue that the artery is narrowed, as normal arteries do not make this sound.  One of the most commonly used tests for diagnosing PAD is the ankle-brachial index (ABI).  This is a measurement of the blood pressure in the arm compared to the blood pressure in the ankle.  Your doctor will use blood-pressure cuffs and a non-invasive Doppler sensor to measure and compare the two blood pressures.  If the blood pressure in the ankles is low compared to the blood pressure in the arms, this is a sign of peripheral arterial disease.

Angiography may also be used to confirm the diagnosis of peripheral arterial disease.  This is a procedure where the doctor will inject a small amount of dye into the blood vessels, then use either an X-ray, CT scan, or MRI to view the arteries.  This method is more invasive than the others, but it allows the doctor to see exactly where the blood clot is occurring.  This makes the condition much more possible to treat. 

When treating PAD, your doctor will usually take a two-fold approach.  The first step is to treat the symptoms, such as the leg pain, so that everyday activities are manageable.  The second step is to treat the underlying causes.  This may include medications for high blood pressure or high cholesterol.  Lifestyle changes are also important, such as quitting smoking, a change in diet, or a monitored exercise program.

Catching peripheral arterial disease early is an important step in managing the disease and preventing complications from its progression.  If you have risk factors for the disease, be sure to ask your doctor about peripheral arterial disease.  If you are experiencing symptoms such as leg pain, be sure to tell your doctor about that as well.

Central Florida Foot & Ankle Center, LLC
101 6th Street N.W.
Winter Haven, FL 33881
Phone: 863-299-4551
http://www.FLFootandAnkle.com