Peripheral artery disease (PAD), otherwise known as peripheral vascular disease, is a common circulatory problem, which narrows the arteries and reduces the blood flow to your limbs. Most of us do not find any signs and symptoms of it, but some may find a number of them. A few of these symptoms, that even you may have experienced, are:
• numbness or pain in the leg muscles
• painful cramps in your hips, thighs, or calf muscles
• change in the color of your legs
• sores on your feet or legs that won’t heal
These heart diseases are caused by various reasons, the most common being atherosclerosis. In this case, fatty deposits (plaque) build up in your artery walls and reduce blood flow. Other less common causes are blood clots in arteries, injury to limbs, unusual anatomy of ligaments or muscles, or infection. They may be due to factors such as smoking, high blood pressure, cholesterol, and diabetes. The risk for peripheral vascular disease increases with your age.
There are various tests to diagnose these heart diseases. These include physical examination by a doctor, ankle-brachial index (ABI), which is one of the most common tests used to diagnose PAD, ultrasound, angiography, and blood tests. The most important part that follows the diagnosis is the treatment. This starts at our end, with making lasting changes in the lifestyle, which lowers the blood pressure, reduces high cholesterol level, and brings down the blood sugar level. All these are done by maintaining a heart-healthy diet and getting some regular physical exercise. With all these changes in our lifestyle, you can manage the symptoms of PAD and also stop the progression of these heart diseases. By keeping an eye on your heart using various heart rate monitors that are available in the market, you can keep PAD and other heart-related problems at a safe distance.
