Peripheral Artery Disease: Causes, Symptoms, And Treatments

What is Peripheral Artery Disease?

PAD (Peripheral Artery Disease) occurs when narrowing of the blood vessels happen due to the buildup on the walls of the blood vessels. Peripheral Artery Disease (PAD) is commonly known to affect people suffering from Type 2 diabetes. As per the reports of the American Diabetes Association, about 1 in 3 people who suffer from diabetes and are above the age of 50 years tend to have PAD. The doctors tend to diagnose the Peripheral Artery Disease symptoms when individuals start suffering from foot or leg problems.

As the narrowing of the blood vessels due to the buildup tends to occur in the arteries of the body, people having Peripheral Artery Disease are always at a higher risk of heart stroke or heart attack. If you doubt that you have Peripheral Artery Disease based on the symptoms, then it is vital to consult your doctor as soon as possible. This will help you in knowing about the possible Peripheral Artery Disease symptoms and protecting the blood vessels and the heart. 

How does Peripheral Artery Disease Occur?

When you have Peripheral Artery Disease (PAD), it could result in the formation of plaque in the walls of the blood vessels. This tends to restrict the overall flow of blood as well as oxygen to the legs and feet. By the severity of the development of plaque, it could cause pain in the lower legs while you would be walking. It could also lead to tingling, numbness, and coldness when you will rest. 

Who is Prone to Peripheral Artery Disease?

Peripheral Artery Disease is known to affect individuals having Type 2 diabetes. People who are prone to high cholesterol and heart diseases might also catch up Peripheral Artery Disease. People who are above the age of 50 years and have diabetes are more prone to having Peripheral Artery Disease. 

What are the Symptoms of Peripheral Artery Disease? How is Peripheral Artery Disease Diagnosed?

Peripheral Artery Disease is known to affect millions of people all around the world. However, most of the people go unnoticed about this health condition. Even most of the doctors and patients tend to overlook the obvious signs of having the Peripheral Artery Disease symptoms. 

Some of the possible signs and Peripheral Artery Disease symptoms might include:

• A pain in the calves when you might be walking or exercising. This pain might go away while resting. Such a condition is referred to as “claudication.”
• Tingling, numbness, or the feeling of pins & needles in the lower legs or feet.
• Sores or cuts on the legs and feet that do not heal easily or heal slowly. 

In some cases, the Peripheral Artery Disease symptoms might be so subtle that it becomes difficult to analyze that you might be having some health condition. In most cases, the patients tend to dismiss the symptoms of mild leg pain that arises from Peripheral Artery Disease. Most of them believe the pain to be arising out of old age and other factors. This is the reason why it is important for you to pay attention to your body and look out for signs and symptoms of health conditions like Peripheral Artery Disease. When you can identify the symptoms of Peripheral Artery Disease, then early treatment can help in protecting the overall vascular system of your body. 

Diagnosis

When you head out to the doctor’s clinic for diagnosing the symptoms of Peripheral Artery Disease, then the doctor might make use of the ankle-brachial index for testing whether or not you have Peripheral Artery Disease (PAD). This testing process is used for comparing the blood pressure in the arm to the blood pressure in the ankle. If the blood pressure on the ankle turns out lower than the blood pressure on the arm, then you might have Peripheral Artery Disease. The doctor might also suggest some other diagnostic measures for PAD including magnetic resonance angiography or Doppler ultrasound. 

What are the Complications of Peripheral Artery Disease?

Diabetes tends to enhance your chances of getting PAD. You might also be at a higher risk of developing PAD if you have the following signs:

• The family history of heart diseases
• Smoking
• Physically inactive
• Obese or overweight
• Previous heart stroke or heart attack
• High cholesterol levels

What is the Treatment for Peripheral Artery Disease?

In most of the cases, the signs of Peripheral Artery Disease are treated by some medications and lifestyle changes. This would reduce your overall chances of having a heart stroke or heart attack. 

Home Remedies for Peripheral Artery Disease

• Quit smoking
• Eat healthy food including fresh fruits & vegetables
• Take properly prescribed medications

Did You Know?

• PAD is known to affect around 12 to 14 percent of the world’s population.
• PAD affects people above the age of 50 years.
• Smoking enhances the chances of developing PAD by 500 percent. 

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