Englewood Cliffs is a borough in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. It is a suburb of New York City located near the western terminus of Route 80, about 15 miles from the George Washington Bridge. You will find a substantial number of people in Englewood Cliffs with PVD. If you have peripheral vascular disease in Englewood Cliffs, you should see a physical medicine specialist in Monroe Township as soon as possible. Unfortunately, very little is known about PVD despite it being quite common these days. The following are things you need to know about peripheral vascular disease:

What Is Peripheral Vascular Disease?

Peripheral vascular disease affects the blood vessels outside of the heart. The main symptom associated with PVD is a pain in the legs when walking or exercising that goes away with rest. Blockages cause this pain in the blood vessels due to atherosclerosis, high cholesterol, diabetes, lack of exercise, obesity, smoking, and a family history of the condition. When you have PVD, the oxygen and nutrients needed to keep your tissues healthy do not reach them due to blockages in the blood vessels, which leads to pain when exercising or walking, which goes away after you rest.

Causes of PVD

People with peripheral vascular disease often have other conditions such as high cholesterol, diabetes, obesity, or smoking. Smoking is considered the number one cause of PVD. In addition to atherosclerosis and high blood pressure, PVD can be caused by an injury to a leg or foot. There is a higher risk of developing heart disease when you have PVD. The following are other causes of PVD:

  • Atherosclerosis
  • High blood pressure
  • Injury to the leg or foot
  • Atrial fibrillation
  • Genetic factors.

Risk Factors for PVD

Being overweight, having high blood pressure, and high cholesterol increases your chances of developing peripheral vascular disease. Your risk of getting the condition shoots up when you smoke or have diabetes. Women are also at a higher risk of developing PVD than men. If you have a family history of PVD, your chances of developing the condition increase.

Symptoms of PVD

The symptoms associated with PVD include leg or foot pain during exercise that goes away once you rest. Other symptoms include:

  • Numbness in the legs and feet
  • Cold feet and hands
  • Loss of hair on the legs and feet
  • Cramping in the calves
  • Skin sores
  • Loss of balance

How is PVD Diagnosed?

In most cases, PVD is diagnosed through a physical examination because there are no tests available to diagnose PVD. In some cases, doctors may order a CT angiogram or an MRI scan to help with the diagnosis. Other tests include:

  • An ankle-brachial index (ABI) test
  • An exercise treadmill stress test
  • Blood testing for cholesterol levels and blood sugar levels
  • An Ankle-arm index (AAI) test

Treatments for PVD

The treatment for this condition varies depending on the severity of the disease. In most cases, the doctor will recommend a combination of treatments to address the symptoms and other conditions such as diabetes and high cholesterol. The following are some examples:

  • Lifestyle changes such as losing weight and exercising
  • Medications like statins and ACE inhibitors used to lower blood pressure and cholesterol levels
  • Medicines to thin the blood such as aspirin and warfarin
  • Angioplasty
  • Stenting
  • Surgery to remove blockages in the leg arteries

If you suffer from peripheral vascular disease, you should see a doctor for treatment. 

Unfortunately, doctors do not know what causes PVD or how it progresses. The good news is that doctors know more about PVD than they used to. As a result, they can diagnose and treat the condition much better than in the past.