Know the Warning Signs

Know the Warning Signs of One of the Deadliest Diseases You’ve Never Heard of – Peripheral Artery Disease (PAD)

More than 8 million Americans suffer from peripheral artery disease, or PAD. Just as a heart attack is caused by a blocked artery in the heart, PAD is the same kind of blockage – only it takes place in the arm, leg or other part of the body.

PAD is a leading cause for amputation, and puts you at risk for heart attack, stroke and death. It can build up over a lifetime, and the symptoms may not become obvious until later in life.

The first noticeable symptom of PAD may be a painful cramping in the calf, thigh or buttocks that occurs regularly when you walk or move, but that goes away when you’re at rest. This is called intermittent claudication. The pain can be severe enough to limit your ability to participate in activities you enjoy, such as golfing or chasing after grandchildren.

Other symptoms of advanced PAD include:

Burning or aching pain in the feet and toes while resting (especially at night while lying flat)
Cool skin in the feet
Redness or color changes in the skin
Toe and foot sores that do not heal

However, fully half of people who have PAD experience no symptoms at all. That’s one of the reasons it’s so dangerous.

What is PAD?
PAD is a disorder that occurs in the arteries of the circulatory system. Arteries are the blood vessels that carry oxygen and nutrient-rich blood from the heart to all areas of the body. PAD occurs in the vessels that carry blood to the arms and legs.

Healthy arteries have a smooth lining that prevents blood from clotting and promotes steady blood flow. In PAD, the arteries slowly become narrowed or blocked when plaque gradually forms inside the artery walls. Plaque is made of excessive fat, cholesterol and other substances floating through the bloodstream, such as inflammatory cells, proteins and calcium. If the arteries become narrowed or blocked, blood cannot get through to nourish organs and other tissues, causing damage to the tissues and eventually tissue death.

The rate at which PAD progresses varies with each individual and depends on many factors, including where in the body the plaque has formed and the person’s overall health.

What are the risk factors for peripheral artery disease?
An individual is at risk for developing peripheral artery disease when one or more of these risk factors are present:

Smoking
Diabetes
Age: In the United States, people aged 50 and older have an increased risk for PAD
Race: African Americans have a two-fold higher risk of developing peripheral artery disease compared to other groups
History of heart or blood vessel disease: A personal or family history of heart or blood vessel disease may be an indicator for peripheral artery disease
High blood pressure (hypertension)

How is PAD detected?
Talk to your doctor if you are having symptoms of PAD so the cause of your symptoms can be identified and treatment can be initiated as soon as possible. Early detection of PAD is important so the right treatments can be provided before the disease becomes severe enough to lead to complications, such as heart attack or stroke. A physical exam will be performed and your medical history and risk factors will be reviewed.

How is PAD treated?
Lifestyle changes, medications and interventional procedures are the treatments available for PAD.

Lifestyle changes
Initial treatment of PAD includes making lifestyle changes to reduce your risk factors. to modify your risk factors. Initial treatment of PAD includes making lifestyle changes to reduce your risk factors. Changes you can make to manage your condition include:

Quit smoking. Ask your doctor about smoking cessation programs available in your community.
Eat a balanced diet that is high in fiber and low in cholesterol, fat and sodium. Limit fat to 30 percent of your total daily calories. Saturated fat should account for no more than 7 percent of your total calories. Avoid trans fats including products made with partially-hydrogenated and hydrogenated vegetable oils.
If you are overweight, losing weight will help you lower your total cholesterol and raise your HDL (good) cholesterol. A registered dietitian can help you make the right dietary changes.
Exercise. Begin a regular exercise program, such as walking. Walking is very important and can aid the treatment of PAD. Patients who walk regularly can expect a marked improvement in the distance they are able to walk before experiencing leg pain. Ask your doctor about a supervised walking program to help you succeed and maximize your exercise efforts.
Manage other related health problems, such as high blood pressure, diabetes or high cholesterol.

What are the conditions associated with PAD?
If left untreated, patients with PAD can develop serious health problems, including:

Heart attack: permanent damage to the heart muscle caused by a lack of blood supply to the heart for an extended time
Stroke: interruption of the blood flow to the brain
Transient ischemic attack (TIA): a temporary interruption in the blood supply to the brain)
Renal artery disease or stenosis: a narrowing or blockage of the artery that supplies blood to the kidney
Amputation: the removal of part or all of the foot or leg (rarely the arm), especially in people who also have diabetes

Can PAD be cured?
There is no “cure” for PAD. Quitting smoking, exercising regularly, limiting fat and following a healthy diet, and managing your risk factors—such as diabetes, high cholesterol and high blood pressure—can help to reduce the progression of the disease.

Expanded capability to meet the rising need in the community

There is good news! We have seen an increased need for advanced technology to help physicians diagnose and treat vascular conditions such as PAD. Therefore, to meet the needs of our community, Lakewood Hospital has invested $2 million in a new, state-of-the-art Endovascular Suite. This suite provides physicians with the most advanced technology to diagnosis and treat patients who require peripheral vascular imaging.

The imaging equipment, shown above, provides excellent 3-D images that enable a more accurate vascular diagnosis. In addition, if needed, minimally invasive procedures can also be done in the same suite.

Lakewood Hospital's highly-trained physicians, registered nurses and technologists are able to provide expert care on Cleveland’s west side. Which means individuals coping with vascular disease do not have to travel far to obtain the vital tests that they need.

The Endovascular Suite complements the cornerstone services of Lakewood Hospital’s Vision for Tomorrow, such as the Diabetes and Endocrine Center and Neurological Institute.