Don’t Get Caught Unawares: Warning Signs Of Blocked Arteries In Your Legs (PAD)

Dr. Rema Malik walks us through it:

Stay a step ahead of peripheral artery disease

Peripheral arterial disease (PAD) is generally caused by stenosis (narrowing of the arteries) usually due to cholesterol deposits, that reduce blood flow through your arteries, limiting oxygen delivery to your tissues.

Step by step:

• Initial warning signs: pain in your legs with light activity such as walking short distances is a common early sign used for screening.
• Advanced symptoms: more consistent pain in your legs or the top of your foot at night that improves when you dangle your foot off the bed is a bad sign indeed.
• Can appear at any stage: small wounds that do not heal can be an early presentation, while severe cases can progress to major tissue loss (necrosis, due to the the tissue not being fed with oxygen and nutrients).
• Last ones before it kills you: the most serious complication (before death) is the need for an amputation due to critical loss of blood supply, which is a lot more common than it should be.

In terms of clinical diagnosis, this is usually based on a physical exam focusing on pulse symmetry, skin color changes such as pallor or redness, purplish discoloration, and/or signs of tissue loss.

As for the risk factors: smoking, alcohol consumption, hypertension, diabetes, high bodyweight, high body fat percentage, and/or sedentary lifestyle all increase the risk of developing PAD, and are (for most people) modifiable risk ractors. There is also a genetic risk factor, which we can’t do anything about yet.

You may be wondering about treatment: well, prevention is definitely better than cure (look after your circulation, see the link in the “learn more” below), and/but there are surgical options if it comes to the point of needing such.

For more on all of this, enjoy:

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Want to learn more?

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Take care!