8 Signs of a Blood Clot - Symptoms in Legs, Chest, Neck, and More
How Peripheral Artery Disease Can Sneak Up On You
Peripheral artery disease (PAD) develops over time. And in the early stages, you may not realize it's happening. But there are things you can do to lower your odds of ever getting PAD. The first step is to understand how it takes hold, if you're at risk, and how it happens.
PAD happens when certain arteries -- usually in your legs -- narrow because of plaque buildup. This keeps blood from flowing to your limbs like it's supposed to.
Some people don't feel symptoms, while others may ignore them if they're subtle at first. If you don't pinpoint it and get treatment, PAD can lead to gangrene -- areas of dead tissue -- and require amputation. And this same process of plaque buildup might be taking place in the blood vessels that supply the heart or the brain, leading to heart attack or stroke. Treating PAD can help prevent this from happening. That's why early detection is key.
"The biggest problem that we see is people coming in late in a delayed fashion," says Michael S. Conte, MD, professor and chief of the Vascular and Endovascular Surgery Division at the University of California, San Francisco.
"[They're] waiting too long, thinking it's nothing, thinking it's old age, thinking that this spot on their foot will go away and waiting for things for so long that then we have to do really complicated surgeries and interventions to save a leg," Comte says.
The three main risk factors for PAD are age, diabetes, and smoking.
Age. It's pretty uncommon to see this disease in people under age 50 unless they have a history of diabetes or smoking.
Diabetes. High blood sugar can prime artery walls for plaque buildup. Diabetes can also add more problems to the equation when coupled with PAD. About 15% of people with diabetes get foot ulcers, and if you have PAD too, the risk of limb amputation is five to 10 times higher.
Smoking. Smoking, which worsens the constriction and damage of your arteries, raises the odds of PAD by 400% and brings on PAD symptoms almost 10 years earlier.
PAD can also happen if you get radiation in the neck or legs. Radiation to treat tumors can cause artery blockages down the line -- anywhere from 3 to 10 or more years later.
Other things that can make your chances of getting PAD go up include:
Men are more likely to get PAD than women, and sooner -- about a decade earlier than women. PAD also disproportionately affects Black and Native American people, and that gap widens with age.
PAD usually takes hold over time, not suddenly. But it doesn't always go from mild to moderate to very bad. How quickly it happens varies from person to person, too, and depends on things like where the blockage is and your overall health.
You can also have PAD without major symptoms at first. But in time, you would.
"In terms of true peripheral artery disease, where there's a significant impairment of blood flow to the leg arteries, pretty much all those people [who have it] have some sort of functional limitation," says cardiologist Aaron W. Aday, MD, assistant professor of medicine at Vanderbilt University Medical Center.
The most common PAD symptom is leg pain or weakness, usually in the calf muscle, when you walk. It can be slightly uncomfortable or extremely painful, making it hard for you to be active. A few minutes of rest usually eases the pain.
Other signs to look out for include:
The reason some people may not feel typical PAD symptoms is still a bit of a mystery. But here are a few reasons why you may not think you have it but do.
It's too early to tell. Since PAD unfolds over time, red flags may not be obvious yet. Many people with PAD don't have noticeable symptoms until the artery has narrowed by 60% or more.
You assume it's aging or a joint problem. The symptoms that come with orthopedic conditions, such as lumbar spine disease and spinal stenosis arthritis, often feel the same as PAD. So can problems with nerves, which, when pinched, can cause similar pain. It takes a doctor to figure out what's causing your pain.
Other diseases can mask signs of PAD. Another condition might keep you from being active enough to feel symptoms. Or pain from another health problem masks aches from PAD.
The location of the blockage affects what you feel. Where your PAD is and how far it goes may affect what you feel. The farther out into your limbs the blockage is, the higher the chance that PAD might show up late and with a worse symptom, not at an earlier stage with more common red flags like leg pain.
If you do have PAD, your doctor may prescribe medication, such as antiplatelet medication to ward off heart attacks and strokes and others for high blood pressure or high cholesterol, as part of your treatment. You'll also want to make lifestyle changes to help ease your symptoms and stop PAD from getting worse:
Stop smoking. This includes avoiding other people's secondhand smoke. Doing this can not only help ease your symptoms, but also lower your chances of more problems.
Take walks often. This may seem counterintuitive if it's painful to walk, but this is the best exercise you can do to improve your PAD. In fact, the distance you can walk without pain can show how successful your treatment is.
It might not be comfortable.
"The goal is not to avoid pain," Aday says. "It's to become comfortable with that pain in the legs, push yourself to that point of having pain -- if you need to rest, that's fine -- but then continuing on. The big-picture goal is increasing [your] functional capability."
Walks can also help you control PAD risk factors such as high cholesterol and high blood pressure.
Eat healthy food. The same things that are good for your heart, your brain, and your whole body are also good for curbing PAD. Focus on foods that are high in fiber, and avoid salt and saturated fat. This will help to keep your blood pressure and cholesterol levels under control.
Check your feet and wash them every day. Take a close look at each foot. If you see a sore or injury, see your doctor. This is important especially if you have diabetes since your body may have a harder time healing injuries and sores on your lower legs and feet. Less blood flow to those areas makes that recovery process even harder, making infection and even amputation more likely.
The Symptoms In Your Legs That Can Signal Peripheral Artery Disease (PAD): Who Is At Risk?
Peripheral Artery Disease (PAD) is a condition that increases your risk of Coronary Heart Disease (CHD), heart attack, stroke, and transient ischaemic attack. It is often caused by a buildup of fatty deposits or plaque on artery walls, which leads to the narrowing and hardening of the arteries, causing reduced blood flow and an increased risk of cardiovascular events. Also known as atherosclerosis, it most commonly affects the peripheral arteries but can also impact the coronary arteries that supply blood to the heart.
Usually, factors, such as smoking, diabetes, hypertension, high cholesterol, and ageing, increase the risk of PAD. Therefore to treat PAD, it is important to assess your risk factors and diagnose it on time. Identifying the symptoms and assessing the risk factors therefore play a crucial role. But let's begin by understanding what PAD is and its link to cholesterol.
Also Read: What Does It Mean To Have A Healthy Heart Rate? Expert Answers
Peripheral Artery Disease (PAD) PrevalenceAccording to a study published in the Journal Frontiers in Cardiovascular Medicine reported that in 2019, more than 11.3 crore people lived with PAD and more than 10.5 lakh new cases occurred globally, leading to 74,063 deaths.
Another study published in the Journal of Vascular Surgery, there has been a 72% increase in the global prevalence of PAD from an estimated 65,764,499 persons in 1990 to 113,443,016 in 2019.
"Prevalence per one lakh persons increased 13% and the prevalence per one lakh age-standardised decreased 22%," the study noted.
The Link Between Cholesterol And PADAccording to Dr Jaideep Menon, Consultant, Adult Cardiology, Amrita Hospital, Kochi, cholesterol is carried in the blood by lipoproteins, which are made up of proteins and fats.
Discussing the two main types of cholesterol, he explained, "Low-Density Lipoprotein (LDL) is often referred to as "bad" cholesterol because it can increase your risk for coronary artery disease by contributing to the build-up of plaque in the arteries, whereas High-Density Lipoprotein (HDL), or "good" cholesterol helps to remove excess cholesterol from the bloodstream. High levels of LDL cholesterol are associated with an increased risk of PAD because LDL cholesterol can build up in the walls of the arteries, forming plaques that narrow and harden the arteries."
"Over time, this narrowing can restrict blood flow to the legs and feet, causing pain and other symptoms associated with peripheral artery disease. Therefore, it is important to maintain healthy levels of LDL cholesterol to reduce the risk of developing PAD and other cardiovascular diseases," he added.
Warning Signs Of PAD In Your LegsPAD is a condition in which the arteries that supply blood to the legs and feet become narrowed or blocked, often due to a build-up of fatty deposits called plaques. The symptoms therefore occur more commonly in the leg, however, can vary depending on the severity of the condition. These include:
Severe PAD can reduce the blood flow to the legs and feet and can lead to tissue damage, infection, and even gangrene, making it important to seek medical attention.
Also Read: Is Your Heart In Good Shape? 5 Important Tests That Can Tell You
Who Is At Risk?Common risk factors of PAD include:
Several lifestyle changes can be made to help reduce the risk of PAD:
The best way to prevent the development of PAD is by making healthy lifestyle choices and steering clear of factors that put you at risk. Maintaining a healthy weight, eating right, exercising regularly, and quitting smoking and alcohol consumption can make a major difference. Moreover, get your regular screenings and monitor your overall health.
Coronary Artery
Arteries that supply blood to the heart muscle are called coronary arteries. They run along the surface of the heart (epicardial coronary arteries) and give out small branches (subendocardial coronary arteries) that run deep within the heart muscle and deliver blood to the heart structures. The most common type of heart disease is coronary artery disease (ischemic heart disease). It is caused by plaque building up in the coronary arteries. It reduces the oxygen and nutrients supply to the heart muscle and results in weakened contraction (myocardial hibernation), ischemia (angina) or heart tissue death (myocardial infarction or heart attack). But sometimes, heart's collateral circulation may serve as alternate routes of blood supply and help the heart tissue to recover. In cardiac syndrome X there are symptoms of coronary artery disease in the absence of coronary arteries blockage. Diseases of coronary artery may be diagnosed with electrocardiogram, cardiac stress test, echocardiography, coronary angiography, blood tests, etc. Treatment may include medications, angioplasty or coronary artery bypass surgery. Causes Of DyslipidemiaDyslipidemia refers to the imbalance of blood lipids (fats), which include high-density lipoprotein (HDL), low-density lipoprotein (LDL) and triglycerides.
Causes Of DyslipidemiaDyslipidemia refers to the imbalance of blood lipids (fats), which include high-density lipoprotein (HDL), low-density lipoprotein (LDL) and triglycerides.
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