Peripheral vascular disease, also known as peripheral artery disease, is a circulatory disorder that affects the arteries supplying blood to the legs and feet. This condition can cause mobility issues and, if not well managed, may lead to serious health complications. Peripheral artery disease is primarily caused by atherosclerosis, the buildup of fatty plaque in the arteries, leading to their narrowing.
What Causes Peripheral Artery Disease?
Peripheral artery disease develops when plaque buildup in the arteries through a process referred to as atherosclerosis. Plaque consists of fats, cholesterol, and other cellular waste forming into a substance or deposit. As plaque accumulates, the arteries narrow, reducing blood flow to your legs and feet. There are several things that can make you more likely to get this disease, such as:- Smoking: Chemicals in tobacco harm blood vessels and thin the arteries, leading to plaque buildup.
- High blood pressure: This condition demands more of your arteries' capacity, and with that demand, more of them can experience wear and tear, building up plaque.
- High cholesterol: These are fatty deposits that develop in your arteries, blocking them when there is a lot of cholesterol in your blood.
- Diabetes: High blood sugar levels also increase the risk of plaque buildup in blood vessels.
- Age (over 60): Peripheral artery disease itself predisposes one to other diseases, and as is the norm with many different diseases, the risk of having peripheral artery disease also rises as one age.
- Family history: If your close relatives have had peripheral artery disease or any other form of cardiovascular disease, you are likely to be at risk.
Symptoms Of Peripheral Artery Disease
Intermittent Claudication is one of the most common symptoms of peripheral artery disease. A soreness or cramping in one's legs is relieved when one gets to rest. This pain is usually experienced at the back of the leg, in the calves, thighs, or buttocks, and it makes it hard to walk or exercise. Other symptoms of may include:- Numbness or tingling: Others develop peripheral artery disease symptoms and feel pins and needles in their legs or feet.
- Coldness: Your legs or feet might also turn pale or blue and be cold because blood flow to those areas is restricted.
- Sores or ulcers: Some leg or foot injuries may heal slowly or not at all, although perfect ulcer healing is possible if management measures are taken early.
- Weak or absent pulses: A slower-than-regular pulse in your legs or feet indicates poor blood circulation.
How Is Peripheral Artery Disease Diagnosed?
If you think you have peripheral artery disease, your doctor will perform some tests to confirm that it is the case. The most usual test is the ankle-brachial index, which evaluates blood pressure at your ankle compared to your arm. A value lower than normal blood pressure in your ankles indicates that circulation in your legs is deficient.Other diagnostic tests may include:
Doppler ultrasound: This test employs acoustic waves, depicting blood flow on a screen with blocked or narrowed arteries revealed. Angiography: In this procedure, a contrast dye is injected into your bloodstream, and pictures are taken to see the arteries and blockages.
Treatment Options For Peripheral Artery Disease
Peripheral artery disease has different treatment based on the severity of the condition. In its initial years, nonpharmacologic interventions have been beneficial in alleviating the manifestations and avoiding the dynamics of the disease. These changes may include:- Quitting smoking: Quitting smoking must rank as one of the most important things you can do to reduce your risk of poor circulation and other related ailments.
- Healthy diet: To reduce plaque formation, a cholesterol-lowering diet that includes fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean meats, and low-fat dairy products should be followed.
- Regular exercise: Of course, physical activity must be undertaken regularly; therefore, walking and swimming are considered to be the best options for peripheral artery disease patients.
- Managing other health conditions: Adherence to proper diet and medications is essential, especially in controlling high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and diabetes, all of which worsen the condition.
- Medications: Antiplatelets like Clopidogrel, aspirin, and statins like atorvastatin can be used to treat patients with peripheral artery disease.
- Angioplasty and stenting: These are minimally invasive procedures that are normally carried out using a small balloon that is inserted into the blocked artery and then inflated. Surgeons may insert a stent, a small mesh tube, to keep the artery open.
- Bypass surgery: In more serious conditions, surgery to rebuild a new route for the flow of blood around the damaged artery may be necessary.
Complications Of Peripheral Artery Disease
Without treatment, peripheral artery disease can lead to severe complications, including:- Critical limb ischemia (CLI): This is a severe disease that develops when blood circulation in the legs becomes very poor, causing pain, sores, or ulcers. CLI, if left without treatment, leaves the option of having to amputate the affected limb as the chances are high that the tissues can die.
- Amputation: Sometimes, the blood circulation may be very poor, and the tissue death may be highly significant. In such situations, the limb has to be removed so that the patient's life can be saved since the infection may be the cause of the patient's death.
- Heart attack: Given that peripheral artery disease is a form of cardiovascular disease, it is expected that patients diagnosed with the disease also have a higher risk of having a heart attack.
- Stroke: It also raises the chances of having a stroke since peripheral artery disease shows that a person has atherosclerosis, which can occur in the arteries supplying the brain.
Preventing Peripheral Artery Disease
Preventing peripheral artery disease is more accessible than treating it after it fully develops, so managing your risk factors is crucial. Here are some of the things that you can do:- Quit smoking: Smoking is another risk factor you are advised to stop if you are also experiencing peripheral artery disease or any other heart disease. It is necessary that you give up smoking.
- Eat a healthy diet: Pay attention to the amount of saturated fat in your diet and daily intake of fiber foods, fruits, and vegetables.
- Exercise regularly: It is recommended that you engage in at least 30 minutes of moderate physical activity most weekdays to boost circulation and overall health.
- Manage chronic conditions: Regular check-ups and prescribed medication are essential for controlling blood pressure, cholesterol, and blood sugar levels.
