Peripheral artery disease (PAD) doubles your chance of developing heart failure and significantly increases your risk of having a heart attack or stroke.
Though complications like heart disease are life-threatening, they’re not the only severe problem associated with PAD — it’s also a leading cause of foot amputations.
At Memphis Vein Center, Kishore K. Arcot, MD, FACC, specializes in preventing and treating PAD. Because September is PAD Awareness Month, this is the perfect time to learn who’s at risk and how this disease affects your long-term health.
PAD develops when atherosclerosis, a buildup of cholesterol and other fats, develops in a lower leg vein. Without treatment, the fats keep accumulating in the same area.
As the fatty plaque enlarges, blood flow through the artery becomes increasingly limited. The diminished blood flow prevents tissues from getting the oxygen and nutrients they need to function.
Leg pain that appears when you walk but improves at rest is the earliest sign of PAD. Though the restricted blood supply is sufficient when resting, increased activity causes pain because the insufficient blood flow can’t meet the oxygen demands of your muscles.
Leg and foot pain at night are red flags that blood circulation is so limited the tissues can’t get enough oxygen even when you’re relaxing.
In addition to leg and foot pain, you may experience one or more of the following symptoms:
Arterial ulcers develop when tissues are deprived of blood and oxygen. The wound progressively worsens, causing a deep, round ulcer that’s often painful. These ulcers won’t heal without intensive wound care and can lead to skin and bone infections.
As PAD progresses, critical limb ischemia (severe loss of blood and oxygen) and tissue death (gangrene) develop. At this stage, you need emergency limb preservation surgery or amputation.
Learning if you’re at risk for PAD is essential because you can’t always count on symptoms to give you a heads-up.
More than half of people with PAD don’t have symptoms. By the time signs appear, chances are you have an advanced blockage. If you know your risk, you can take steps to prevent or treat PAD.
The top risk factors for PAD include:
The more risk factors you have, the more your chances of developing PAD rise.
After assessing your risks and completing a physical exam, we perform diagnostic tests such as an ankle-brachial index (ABI) test and vascular ultrasound.
During an ABI test, we measure the blood pressure in your ankles and arms. Comparing the two tests shows if you have PAD.
If the ABI reveals PAD or your risk is high, we typically do a vascular ultrasound. Ultrasound provides detailed images of your blood vessels, revealing any blockages, their size, and blood flow limitations.
If you have a high risk for but haven’t developed PAD, you can prevent the disease by changing your lifestyle, whether that means following a healthy diet, losing weight, exercising, or stopping smoking.
After PAD develops, lifestyle modifications are still crucial for preventing disease progression. We may also prescribe medications to treat atherosclerosis and any underlying conditions, such as diabetes and high blood pressure.
People with substantial arterial blockages need a minimally invasive procedure to eliminate the plaque, open the artery, and restore blood flow. For example, we may perform angioplasty and stenting using a tiny cut to insert a thin catheter (hollow tube) into the artery.
After guiding the catheter to the clot, we inflate a balloon that pushes the plaque against the artery wall. Then we deflate and remove the balloon and catheter while leaving a mesh stent in the artery to hold it open.
Seeking a risk assessment before signs appear allows you to get treatment to prevent PAD or treat it before serious complications occur. Call our Memphis, Tennessee, office or request an appointment online today.
