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Millions With Leg Pain Have Peripheral Artery Disease

More than eight million older Americans have a condition that can cause leg pain when they walk even short distances. Yet half of those who have the condition don’t know it and consequently don’t get treated for it, putting themselves at risk for a heart attack, stroke or worse.

The condition, called peripheral artery disease, or P.A.D., is marked by diseased or blocked arteries in the legs. More than half of those with such circulatory problems in the extremities also have coronary or cerebral artery disease, noted Dr. Iftikhar J. Kullo, a cardiovascular specialist at the Mayo Clinic, in The New England Journal of Medicine in March. Failure to diagnose and treat blocked arteries…

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Featured

 New Technologies for the Treatment of Peripheral Artery Disease

Currently there is a lack of good quality, comparative evidence to guide clinical practice on many of the new endovascular technologies used to treat PAD.

 Smoking linked to higher risk of peripheral artery disease in African-Americans

The impact of cigarette smoking on PAD has been understudied in African-Americans, even though PAD is nearly three times more prevalent in African-Americans than in whites. The current study looked at the relationship between smoking and PAD in participants in the Jackson Heart Study, the largest single site cohort study investigating cardiovascular disease in African-Americans.

 That Annoying Leg Pain Could Be a Blessing in Disguise

What if I told you a test could determine whether you're at an elevated risk for heart attack and stroke, and all it would take is removing your shoes and socks for about five minutes.

Articles of Interest

Peripheral Artery Disease: The Present and Future

The prevalence of peripheral artery disease (PAD) continues to increase worldwide. It is important to identify patients with PAD because of the increased risk of myocardial infarction, stroke, and cardiovascular death and impaired quality of life because of a profound limitation in exercise performance and the potential to develop critical limb ischemia.

A Call to Action: Women and Peripheral Artery Disease

For decades, clinicians did not recognize the impact of coronary disease in women. As such, women were not informed of their CHD risk. For any common disease, whether infectious, oncological, or traumatic, when more than half of the population at risk is not aware of this risk, and when this risk is not managed, preventable morbid and mortal events are inevitable.

A Compendium on Peripheral Arterial Disease

Defined in this way, PAD is the most common disease that is most commonly overlooked. Although it is unusual for PAD to manifest in those under the age of 55, its prevalence increases sharply with age to affect about 8–10% of individuals over the age of 65, and about 20% of individuals over the age of 80.

Differences in Pain Management of Peripheral Vascular Disease and Peripheral Artery Disease

Researchers are still seeking new methods to treat PAD, such as gene therapy. As with other chronic diseases, prevention will always remain the only foolproof method to avoid pain and the undesirable side effects of treatment. The basics of a wholesome lifestyle—eating a balanced and heart-healthy diet, avoiding tobacco use, exercising regularly, and maintaining a steady weight—are some of the basics that even pain practitioners need to promote.

Ease that pain in your leg, sole and heel

MORE and more we see elderlies among us, more reverently called senior citizens, thanks for the increasing control of infectious diseases which used to be the number one cause of death in developing so-called Third World countries, which include our dearly beloved Philippines.

Focus on Prevention: Peripheral Arterial Disease and the Central Role of the Cardiologist

Peripheral artery disease (PAD) is a manifestation of systemic atherosclerotic disease. PAD patients have a poor prognosis with an increased risk of cardiovascular (CV) events, including myocardial infarction (MI), stroke, limb ischemia and CV death; therefore, it is important to detect and treat PAD early. PAD and coronary artery disease (CAD) share a common pathogenesis and risk factors for development; therefore, cardiologists are in a unique position to screen, diagnosis and treat PAD.

More Signs A Mediterranean Diet Helps Prevent Cardiovascular Ills

The new analysis looked specifically at how a Mediterranean diet influences the development of peripheral artery disease. This is a common condition among older men and women in which arteries narrowed by atherosclerosis cut off the flow of blood to limbs such as legs and feet.

New Tactics To Treat Artery Disease That Harms Legs

Doctors are seeking better ways to help patients suffering from artery blockages that obstruct blood flow to the legs—an area of treatment that has been lacking despite well-established methods for preventing and treating the same disease when it occurs in the heart.

Peripheral arterial disease (PAD) may be one of the most common health problems you’ve never heard of

In addition to optimal management of diabetes and smoking cessation, treatment of PAD includes medications to control blood pressure and cholesterol, prevent blood clots, and to treat pain. If these are insufficient, interventional treatments include endovascular procedures and traditional bypass operations.

Peripheral artery disease: often silent, sometimes deadly, potentially preventable

PAD often flies under the radar. “Unfortunately, many people—and that includes doctors—aren’t aware of peripheral artery disease, or they attribute its symptoms to something else, like arthritis or getting older,” says Dr. Reena L. Pande, director of the Vascular Diagnostic Lab at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Instructor in Medicine at Harvard Medical School.

The Top 3 Reasons to Take Your Socks Off

Did you know that by taking your socks off at your next checkup, you may be able to reduce your risks for a serious medical condition called peripheral artery disease, or PAD. More than 8.5 million American adults are affected by PAD, yet many people don’t know they have it.

Vascular Health: Millions at Risk for Peripheral Arterial Disease

PAD is a serious but treatable vascular condition that occurs when sticky plaque that builds up in the arteries hardens and blocks the vessels, limiting the flow of oxygen-rich blood to the limbs.

What to Know About Peripheral Artery Disease—and Its Connection to Diabetes

The arteries that branch out and feed into our arms and legs make up the bulk of what we call peripheral arteries. And the narrowing in these vessels is referred to as peripheral artery disease (PAD), a common condition in which the legs or arms don’t receive sufficient blood flow. “Interestingly, arteries in our legs and feet clog up much more readily than those in our arms and hands,” Kim says. But exactly why that happens remains unclear.

When leg pain means there's a timebomb in your arteries

An early symptom of PAD can be pain on walking – most commonly in the calf muscle but also in the thigh or buttock muscle – a condition known as intermittent claudication.

‘My Patient Did Not Have to Die the Way She Did’

The entire episode could probably have been prevented. My patient was one of the estimated eight million to 12 million Americans with a condition called peripheral artery disease, in which clogged arteries limit the flow of blood to the legs, damaging and eventually killing the tissue. While the disease can’t be cured, it can often be managed with routine monitoring and lifestyle changes like exercising, quitting smoking and taking blood-thinning and cholesterol-reducing medication. If the disease worsens, more aggressive treatments can help unblock or bypass blood vessels to increase blood flow to the foot. Amputation should always be a last resort.

Resources

6 Peripheral Arterial Disease Myths That Simply Aren’t True

Myth #1: PAD has consistent, defined symptoms Many people who have PAD exhibit pain in their legs with physical activity, such as cramping in the calves when walking, that gets better at rest. However, peripheral arterial disease symptoms can vary widely.

DAIC

This channel includes news, interventions, and new technology innovations for peripheral artery disease, PAD and critical limb ischemia.

Save A Leg, Save A Life Foundation

The Save A Leg, Save A Life Foundation is a 501c3 non-profit organization whose mission is: “To Reduce the Number of Lower Extremity Amputations and Improve the Quality of Life of our Fellow Citizens Who are Afflicted with Wounds and Complications from Diabetes and Peripheral Arterial Disease”

Vascular Cures

The good news is that like other diseases related to the arteries, PAD can be treated by making lifestyle changes, by taking medicines, or by having endovascular or surgical procedures, if needed.

Vascular.org

You may not feel any symptoms from peripheral artery disease at first. The most common early symptom is intermittent claudication (IC). IC is discomfort or pain in your legs that happens when you walk and goes away when you rest.

ACE Inhibitor Improves Walking In People with Peripheral Artery Disease

Giving an ACE inhibitor to people with peripheral artery disease (PAD) and intermittent claudication reduces pain and increases walking time, according to a new study published in JAMA. Currently the pharmacologic options for this patient population are few and have limited efficacy.

American Heart Association

Is PAD dangerous or life threatening? Yes, PAD is dangerous because these blockages can restrict circulation to the limbs and organs. Without adequate blood flow, the kidneys, legs, arms and feet suffer damage. Left untreated, the tissue can die or harbor infection such as gangrene.

Cleveland Clinic

Like the blood vessels of the heart (coronary arteries), your peripheral arteries (blood vessels outside your heart) also may develop atherosclerosis, the build-up of fat and cholesterol deposits, called plaque, on the inside walls. Over time, the build-up narrows the artery. Eventually the narrowed artery causes less blood to flow, and a condition called ischemia can occur. Ischemia is inadequate blood flow to the body's tissue.

eMedicineHealth

Only about half of the individuals with peripheral vascular disease have symptoms. Almost always, symptoms are caused by the leg muscles not getting enough blood. Whether you have symptoms depends partly on which artery is affected and to what extent blood flow is restricted.

Harvard Health Publications

This increasingly common disorder often goes undetected in women until serious problems arise.

National Heart Lung and Blood Institute

Information for patients and the public on heart and vascular disease.