Peripheral artery disease is a disease where the arteries are narrowed due to plaque, and as a result, the blood flow to the limbs decreases. In extreme conditions, the legs do not get enough blood flow. Though the exact cause for peripheral artery disease is unknown, plaque is the reason for building up in the arteries. These arteries carry blood to the head, limbs and other organs. The plaque that blocks them is made up fat, calcium and other substances found in the blood and when the plaque hardens, it narrows the arteries causing the oxygen flow to become limited to other parts of the body.
P.A.D. affects the arteries in the legs and can affect how the arteries carry blood to other parts of the body. Due to the blocked flow, it causes pain and numbness and there are chances of getting an infection in the leg that is affected. Normal leg pain in old age should not be ignored, as the pain could be a result of P.A.D. Even though it is serious, it can be treated. You can track your pain by pain diary.
P.A.D. – Causes
Atherosclerosis is the reason for this disease. The fatty deposits that build up on the artery walls cause atherosclerosis, which results in less blood flow. The disease not only affects the heart but also affects the arteries throughout the body. The cause of P.A.D. could be blood vessel inflammation, injury to the limbs,and other factors such as diabetes, smoking or obesity, aging, family history, and high cholesterol. Smokers and diabetes patients are bound to develop P.A.D. as it decreases blood flow.
There could be a risk of developing critical limb ischemia and stroke and heart attack due to plaques in the blood vessels. Critical limb ischemia is when injuries cause tissue death leading to amputation. Stroke or heart attacks can be caused due to fats that build up in the arteries that supply blood to the heart or brain.
Symptoms of P.A.D.
As many people do not know that they have the condition of PAD, they do not release that they suffer from PAD as no symptoms are seen. In other cases symptoms like loss of hair on the legs and feet, muscle pain when walking or climbing stairs , painful hips complaints, weakness in the legs, feeling cold in the foot or lower leg, leg numbness , pale skin or difficulty in finding pulse in the foot. When some of these symptoms are noticed it is a sign to see the doctor at the earliest. If these symptoms are ignored, it could result in serious body diseases or disorders.
Diagnosis of P.A.D.
Based on the patient’s records and family history, PAD is diagnosed. Usually, the doctor first checks the patient’s legs to make the diagnosis. In case of family histories, the doctors will investigate by asking the patient whether they smoke or have diabetes. The diet the patient eats or medications are taken or whether any family member suffered from any heart disease are also asked.
The doctors might check the blood flow in the legs to look for signs. They might check the pulse in the leg arteries and look if there is bruising. In some of the tests, the blood pressure of the ankle and arms is compared and the blood flow in the limbs is monitored. In Doppler ultrasound, blood flow in the arteries and veins in the limbs is observed to show whether the blood vessel is blocked or not.
A treadmill test helps the doctor to understand whether there are any problems while walking. In magnetic resonance angiogram, magnetic and radio waves are used to capture pictures of the blood vessels. This method shows the location of the blocked blood vessel if any. In an arteriogram, the exact location of the blocked artery is found.
Guidelines for PAD patients
PAD patients can treat their disease by relieving the pain in the arms and legs, exercise by walking as much as possible before the pain starts, and by taking precautions before it leads to amputation and heart attack. It can be treated by regular physical exercise, like walking, running on the treadmill or leg exercises. Changing the diet to include food that has low cholesterol and saturated fats are best suggested for PAD patients. Smoking can lead to PAD as it has more chances of developing than as compared to non-smokers.
With this, the doctor will give medication, which has to be followed as per the given prescription. For lowering cholesterol, the doctors will give a prescription to reduce the cholesterol as much as possible as it is bad for the patient. Doctors prescribe medications for patients with high blood pressure to reduce it. Prescription to control the blood sugar as it is important to control the glucose levels. Medication to prevent blood clots as PAD can lead to blood clots in the limbs. One can also use the Health Diary application to easily monitor their health, medication, and progress.
In other cases, angioplasty and surgery may be performed. In angioplasty, a hollow tube is put through the affected artery. A small balloon is inflated to open the artery again to help aid blood flow. Bypass surgery is when the doctors use a blood vessel that is man-made. With the help of the man-made blood vessel, blood starts flowing to the blocked artery. In thrombolytic therapy, the doctors inject clot-dissolving drugs in case there is a blood clot that blocks the artery. It breaks the clot, which results in regained blood flow.
When a person has numbness, leg pain or other symptoms, they are not aging signs but could be serious. In such situations, it is necessary to immediately book an appointment with your doctor. Even when there are no signs of PAD, one must see a doctor as a precautionary measure. One must see a doctor if they are 65 years and above, has diabetes or smokes or has the other risk factors.
Though there is no cure for peripheral artery disease, by changing lifestyle and diet one can reduce the symptoms. Medications will help reduce the chances of cardiovascular disease and changing lifestyle and diet plays an important role in reducing the symptoms. It will help reduce other problems and prevent future pain.
