Peripheral Artery Disease

What is peripheral artery disease?

Peripheral artery disease (PAD) is also known as peripheral vascular disease and atherosclerosis. It’s the hardening of arteries that carry oxygen and nutrient-rich blood from your heart to other areas of your body.

Hardening occurs when fatty deposits build up within the artery walls. This hardening associated with PAD often occurs in vessels that carry blood to your legs and arms, and reduces blood flow to these areas.

What are complications of PAD?

If left untreated, peripheral artery disease can lead to critical limb ischemia, a stroke, or a heart attack. Critical limb ischemia is a condition that begins as open sores and can lead to infections and tissue death requiring amputation.

What are the symptoms of PAD?

You might experience one or more symptoms if you have peripheral artery disease. Examples include:

• Leg numbness or weakness
• Painful cramping in your hips, thighs, or calf muscles
• A cold feeling in your legs, feet, or toes
• Achiness or heaviness in your leg muscles
• A bluish or purplish color in your legs or shiny skin
• Sores on your feet or toes that don’t heal
• Slow toenail growth
• A weak pulse in your legs or feet
• Slow hair growth on your toenails
• Erectile dysfunction in men

If you experience symptoms of PAD, schedule an appointment with Sunnyvale Cardiology for an assessment as soon as possible.

What are the risk factors for PAD?

Numerous factors increase your risk of developing PAD. Examples include:

• High blood pressure
• High cholesterol
• Smoking
• Diabetes
• Obesity
• Being over age 50
• A family history of PAD, stroke, or heart disease
• High levels of a protein called homocysteine

Ways to lower your risk of PAD include maintaining a healthy weight, getting regular exercise, eating a healthy diet, and not smoking.

What is the treatment for PAD?

Your provider reviews your medical history, completes a physical exam, and might recommend blood pressure, imaging, or blood tests to diagnose peripheral artery disease. Common treatments for PAD include:

• Medications to lower blood pressure, cholesterol, or blood sugar
• Medications that reduce PAD symptoms or prevent blood clots
• Dietary changes
• Supervised exercise programs
• Blood clot-dissolving injections
• Angioplasty surgery to keep clogged arteries open with a stent
• Bypass surgery

During bypass surgery, your surgeon creates a graft bypass with a vessel from another area of your body or a synthetic blood vessel, so blood can flow around a blocked or narrowed artery.

Early detection and treatment of peripheral artery disease is crucial for preventing a stroke, heart attack, or other serious heart complication. Schedule an appointment with Sunnyvale Cardiology by phone or online today.