Peripheral Vascular Disease
Peripheral vascular disease (PVD) refers to the gradual narrowing of blood vessels. This disease can be caused by different diseases and symptoms such as pain and swelling in the veins can be observed.
What Is Peripheral Vascular Disease and What Are Its Stages?
The leg veins carry oxygen-rich blood from the heart to the arms and legs. Peripheral vascular disease, known as PAD for short, is the buildup of plaque in the leg veins. Plaque is a layer of fat, cholesterol and other substances that build up on the vessel wall. Its formation gradually narrows the vessels. Blood clots may form around the plaque, causing further vessel narrowing. If the blood vessels become blocked or narrowed in this way, organs and other tissues cannot get enough blood and cannot be nourished.
There are 5 stages of peripheral vascular disease. These are asymptomatic, mild claudication, moderate to severe pain, pain at rest and ulceration or gangrene.
Causes of Peripheral Vascular Disease
One of the most common causes of peripheral vascular disease is peripheral arterial disease caused by atherosclerosis. Other causes of PAD can be listed as follows:
- Blood clots: A blood clot can cause a blocked artery.
- Diabetes: The high levels of sugar in the blood that occur with diabetes can damage the arteries over time. This increases the likelihood of narrowing or weakening. High blood pressure and high levels of fat in the blood of people with diabetes can also lead to the development of atherosclerosis.
- Inflammation of the arteries: It can cause narrowing or weakening of the arteries. Infection can affect not only the blood vessels but also other organs.
- Infection: Inflammation caused by infection can block, narrow or weaken blood vessels. Salmonellosis and syphilis infections are known to infect blood vessels.
- Structural defect: If there is a defect in the structure of the blood vessel, this can cause narrowing. Narrowing due to a structural defect is usually congenital and the cause may not be known.
- Injury: Accidents such as a car accident or a fall from a height can cause injury to blood vessels.
Risk Factors of Peripheral Vascular Disease
Peripheral vascular disease involves multiple risk factors. Risk factors can be:
- Heart disease, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and stroke in other family members,
- The individual is older than 50 years,
- Less movement during the day,
- Being overweight or obese,
- Smoking,
- Having diabetes,
- Having high blood pressure,
- High cholesterol disease,
- Previous stroke or heart attack.
Symptoms of Peripheral Vascular Disease
One of the most common symptoms of PAD is pain in the calf or buttocks that comes and goes. This pain can be in both at the same time, or sometimes only in one. The pain may occur when walking or climbing stairs and is not felt at rest. The pain can be described as cramping. There may also be a feeling of heaviness, tiredness or tightness in the muscles in the legs. If there is a severe obstruction, leg pain at night is one of the clearest symptoms.
Other symptoms of PAD are as follows:
- Numbness, tingling or weakness in the legs,
- Burning, pain in the feet or toes at rest,
- A wound in the leg/foot area that does not heal,
- Feeling cold in one or both legs or feet, discoloration (pale, blue, dark reddish colors)
- Hair loss on the legs,
- Thickening of toenails
Treatment Options for Peripheral Vascular Disease
Treatment of PAD is mainly directed towards two main goals. These are to reduce the risk of cardiovascular events and to improve quality of life by relieving pain when walking. Medications, exercises, and surgical procedures can treat PAD. If PAD is caused by another condition, your doctor can treat high blood pressure, cholesterol and diabetes with medicines. You may also be prescribed medicines such as cilostazol to increase your tolerance to walking. This medicine allows you to walk and exercise for longer without leg pain. You may be prescribed an exercise program based on your doctor's advice. This can improve the symptoms of pain in your legs.
Prevention and Risk Reduction of Peripheral Vascular Disease
The best way to prevent peripheral vascular disease is to reduce risk factors. You can try the following steps to prevent peripheral vascular disease and reduce your risk
- Quit smoking,
- Eating a balanced diet high in fiber and low in cholesterol, fat and sodium,
- Do regular exercise, such as walking,
- Manage diseases that can lead to PAD, such as high blood pressure, diabetes and cholesterol,
- Stress management (yoga and meditation can help),
- To prevent and treat infections,
- Achieving and maintaining ideal weight
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Peripheral Vascular Disease Dangerous?
Whether PAD is dangerous or not depends on the condition, severity and symptoms of the disease. The earlier the disease is diagnosed and intervention is provided, the less dangerous it is. Controlling risk factors can also reduce the danger.
What to do if the disease progresses?
It is important for your health to consult a doctor if your symptoms of peripheral vascular disease increase. Your doctor will assess your condition and may recommend treatment and life changes. Medication, exercise and nutrition programs may be recommended according to your condition. You should have your advanced disease checked regularly for possible side effects and give up harmful lifestyles.
How long does it take to recover after treatment for peripheral arterial disease?
Depending on the treatment you receive, your recovery may be longer or shorter. If you had a treatment such as an atherectomy, it may take a few days to recover, but after an angioplasty treatment you will need a few weeks.
What are the psychological effects of peripheral artery disease and what can be done?
Peripheral arterial disease can take its toll not only physically but also psychologically. The person may experience stress and anxiety, depression, anger, social isolation and loss of self-esteem. Therefore, support may be needed. The person may turn to professional help. Also, learning more about the disease may make the person feel more in control. Ways to reduce stress, such as meditation, can be used. By engaging in favorite activities, positive emotions can be created and psychology can be strengthened. To prevent social isolation, it is important to be with loved ones and stay in touch.
How is Peripheral Artery Disease Diagnosed?
There are some tests to diagnose PAD. These tests include ankle-arm pressure index and vascular ultrasound. These tests can diagnose the disease and help determine the severity of the disease. Angiography can also be performed to find out where the blockage is located. If you or others around you have symptoms of peripheral arterial disease, you can be examined by a specialist doctor.
* Contents of this page is for informational purposes only. Please consult your doctor for diagnosis and treatment. The content of this page does not include information on medicinal health care at Liv Hospital .
