Conditions: Peripheral Arterial Disease
Alternative names:
PAD, Peripheral Vascular Disease, PVD, Arteriosclerosis Obliterans
What is peripheral arterial disease?
What are the signs of peripheral arterial disease?
What causes peripheral arterial disease?
How does my doctor tell
if I have peripheral arterial disease?
How is peripheral arterial disease treated?
What is peripheral arterial disease?
Your peripheral arteries carry blood to the far reaches of your body—your arm and leg muscles, and the organs in and below your stomach area. Peripheral arterial disease means that these arteries have been damaged or blocked, and can't give your body the blood it needs.
back to top
What are the signs of peripheral arterial disease?
Almost 75% of people with peripheral arterial disease feel no symptoms. The most common symptom is cramping in the legs, calves, hips, or buttocks when you exercise or walk. The pain is in the muscles, not the joints, as with arthritis. The pain usually goes away shortly after you stop exercising.
If you have severe peripheral arterial disease, you may:
| • |
Have foot pain that does not go away when you stop exercising |
| • |
Have foot or toe wounds that do not heal, or heal very slowly |
| • |
Have a much lower temperature in a leg or foot, compared to the rest of your body |
| • |
Have toes with a bluish color |
back to top
What causes peripheral arterial disease?
Peripheral arterial disease is caused by fatty buildups in your arteries that block normal blood flow. Partially-blocked arteries mean that your muscles aren't getting the blood they need when you exercise. These muscles then cramp.
Many people with peripheral arterial disease also have arteriosclerosis in their coronary arteries, or narrowing of the vessels that carry blood to and from the heart. Arteriosclerosis increases your risk of having a heart attack, or a stroke.
Peripheral arterial disease may be caused by aging, or having a family history of the disease. It is also related to a number of other factors:
| • |
Being overweight |
| • |
Smoking. A smoker may have symptoms of peripheral arterial disease ten years earlier than a non-smoker. |
| • |
High blood pressure (hypertension) |
| • |
High cholesterol |
| • |
Inactivity |
| • |
Diabetes |
back to top
How does my doctor tell if I have peripheral arterial disease?
A simple ankle-brachial index (ABI) test compares the blood pressure in your feet to the blood pressure in your arms. It shows how well your blood is flowing. If the ABI reveals some problems, your doctor may suggest one of these tests:
| • |
Doppler ultrasound and duplex ultrasound imaging are non-invasive methods in which the presence and extent of arterial narrowing can be assessed. |
| • |
An angiography, in which the doctor injects dye into the arteries and measures the blood flow and blood pressure in the legs |
back to top
How is peripheral arterial disease treated?
In most cases, lifestyle changes and medications will slow the progression or even reverse the symptoms of peripheral arterial disease.
| Non-surgical |
| |
Lifestyle |
| |
• |
Regular exercise is an effective treatment for peripheral arterial disease. Alternate activity with periods of rest. |
| |
• |
A diet low in saturated fat and cholesterol will help lower blood cholesterol levels and prevent further blocking of the arteries |
| |
• |
Stop smoking. This will slow the progression of peripheral arterial disease and other heart-related diseases. |
| |
|
|
| |
Medications |
| |
• |
Pentoxifylline reduces the viscosity or stiffness of circulatory red blood cells and improves flow across narrowed arteries |
| |
• |
Cilostazol is helpful, possibly due to its effects on circulating platelets, and through dilating arteries |
| Surgery |
| |
• |
Angioplasty uses a tiny balloon, laser, or blade to widen the artery to improve blood flow. Sometimes a stent—a small metal tube—is implanted to prevent an artery from re-narrowing. With the patient awake and under local pain medicine a thin, flexible tube (catheter) is inserted in an artery (usually near the groin). Most patients are home within a day or two, and back to work within a few days. |
| |
• |
In a peripheral arterial bypass, a surgeon uses an artificial vessel or one of your own veins to create a way for blood to flow around a blocked artery. |
back to Conditions and Treatments
|
