Peripheral arterial disease (PAD) is a disease characterized by decreased blood flow in the arteries, due to a narrowing or occlusion of these vessels, affecting mainly the legs and feet, and causing signs and symptoms such as pain, cramps, difficulty walking, pallor in the feet, formation of ulcers and, even, risk of necrosis of the affected limb.
Also known as peripheral arterial occlusive disease (PAD), this disease is caused mainly by the accumulation of fatty plaques in the blood vessels, called atherosclerosis. The people most at risk for developing this condition are smokers, people with diabetes, high cholesterol or high blood pressure, for example. Better understand what it is and how to treat atherosclerosis.
To treat peripheral arterial disease, the doctor will advise therapies to decrease or prevent worsening of artery obstruction, such as AAS, Clopidogrel or Cilostazol, for example, in addition to medicines to control high blood pressure, cholesterol and diabetes, which is also very important. the adoption of healthy lifestyle habits. Treatment with surgery is indicated for people with severe symptoms, who have not improved with the drugs or who have a severe lack of circulation of the limbs.
Main symptoms
People with peripheral arterial disease do not always have symptoms and, in many cases, the disease can progress silently and manifest only when it becomes severe. However, the most common signs and symptoms are:
- Pain in the legs when walking and that improves with rest, also called intermittent claudication. Leg pain even at rest can appear as the disease gets worse; Fatigue in the leg muscles; Cramping, numbness or feeling cold in the affected limbs; Burning sensation or tiredness in the leg muscles, such as calf; Decreased arterial pulses, hair loss and thinner skin on the affected limbs; Formation of arterial ulcers, or even necrosis of the limb, in more severe cases.
Symptoms, especially pain, can worsen during sleep at night or whenever the limbs are elevated, as this further decreases blood flow to the legs and feet.
Atherosclerosis can affect blood vessels throughout the body, so people with peripheral arterial disease are also at increased risk of developing other cardiovascular diseases, such as angina, heart attack, stroke or thrombosis, for example. Find out what are cardiovascular diseases and the main causes.
How to confirm
The main way to identify peripheral arterial disease is through clinical evaluation by the doctor, who will observe the symptoms and physical examination of the affected limb.
In addition, the doctor may request to carry out some tests, such as pressure measurement in the limbs, ultrasound with doppler or angiography as a way to help confirm the diagnosis.
How the treatment is done
The treatment for peripheral arterial disease is indicated by the doctor, especially the angiologist, who may indicate the use of medicines such as:
- Aspirin or clopidogrel, which help prevent the formation of thrombi in the blood and obstruction of the arteries; Medicines to control cholesterol, to help stabilize the cholesterol plaque in the vessels and prevent the worsening of the obstruction: Cilostazol, which helps to dilate the affected arteries to moderate to severe cases; analgesics to relieve pain.
In addition, it is very important to adopt improvements in lifestyle and control risk factors for this disease, such as quitting smoking, losing weight, practicing regular physical activities (at least 30 minutes a day), adopting a healthy and balanced diet, in addition to to do the right treatment to control diabetes, cholesterol and high blood pressure.
In this way, it is possible to decrease the worsening of atherosclerosis and the effects of the accumulation of fatty plaques in the blood vessels, thus preventing the worsening of arterial disease and the appearance of other cardiovascular diseases, such as angina, heart attack and stroke, for example.
Surgery can be indicated by the angiologist in cases where there has been no improvement in symptoms as a clinical treatment or when the obstruction of blood flow is severe.
What are the causes
The main cause of peripheral arterial disease is atherosclerosis, in which the accumulation of fat on the walls of the arteries causes their hardening, narrowing and decreased blood flow. Risk factors for atherosclerosis include:
- High cholesterol; High blood pressure; Food rich in fats, salt and sugar; Sedentary lifestyle; Overweight; Smoking; Diabetes; Heart disease.
However, other causes of peripheral arterial disease may be thrombosis, embolism, vasculitis, fibromuscular dysplasia, compression, cystic adventitial disease or trauma to the limb, for example.
