Peripheral artery disease (PAD) is a condition where the arteries in your limbs, most commonly the legs, become narrowed, reducing blood flow.
This restricted blood flow can lead to pain and other symptoms, especially during physical activity, and can cause serious complications if left untreated. Here’s a simple explanation of PAD, its symptoms, and how it’s treated.
When your arteries narrow due to PAD, your legs and other extremities don’t get enough oxygen-rich blood to meet their needs. This often causes discomfort during activities like walking or climbing stairs but typically subsides with rest.
The most common symptom is called claudication, which is pain, cramping, or fatigue in the legs, usually in the calves. Some people might feel this pain in their thighs or buttocks as well.
For some, the discomfort is mild, but for others, it can make walking or everyday tasks difficult. Beyond claudication, PAD can also cause numbness, weakness, or coldness in one leg or foot compared to the other.
In some cases, you might notice sores on your toes or feet that don’t heal, changes in the color of your legs, or slower hair growth on your legs and feet. In severe cases, PAD can lead to gangrene (tissue death), which requires urgent medical care and may result in amputation if not treated.
Certain factors increase the risk of PAD. These include age, smoking, diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and a family history of vascular disease. These conditions contribute to atherosclerosis, where fatty deposits build up on the walls of the arteries, narrowing them and reducing blood flow.
Diagnosing PAD involves a combination of a physical exam and tests. One common test is the ankle-brachial index (ABI), which compares the blood pressure in your ankle to that in your arm to detect any differences.
Other tests like ultrasounds, angiography, or magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) can give doctors a clearer picture of how blood is flowing through your arteries and where blockages might be.
Treatment for PAD aims to ease symptoms and prevent complications like heart attack or stroke. Lifestyle changes are often the first step.
These include quitting smoking, exercising regularly, and eating a heart-healthy diet low in saturated fats. Walking is particularly helpful for improving symptoms and increasing how far you can walk without pain.
Medications may also be prescribed to manage the condition. These might include drugs to prevent blood clots, lower blood pressure and cholesterol, or reduce pain.
For example, statins can help lower cholesterol and reduce the risk of heart-related problems, while other medications may help improve blood flow and ease symptoms of claudication.
For more severe cases of PAD, medical procedures may be necessary to restore blood flow. One common procedure is angioplasty, where a small balloon is inserted into the narrowed artery and inflated to widen it. A stent may also be placed to keep the artery open.
If angioplasty isn’t suitable, bypass surgery can be performed, which involves rerouting blood around the blocked artery using a healthy blood vessel from another part of your body.
Supervised exercise programs, often part of cardiac rehabilitation, are also highly beneficial. These programs provide structured exercise plans that help improve circulation and increase activity levels safely.
Although PAD is a serious condition, understanding its symptoms and treatments can help you take control of your health.
By making lifestyle changes and following your doctor’s recommendations, you can reduce symptoms, improve your quality of life, and lower your risk of complications. Early diagnosis and consistent management are key to living well with PAD.
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