Spotting the Warning Signs of Peripheral Artery Disease

When you hear about clogged arteries, you probably think first about the heart, and how the accumulation of plaque can dangerously constrict blood flow. This buildup puts a person at higher risk for heart attack and stroke. 

However, another condition also puts you at higher risk for these serious health problems, except that the plaque, cholesterol, and other fatty deposits build up in your extremities — typically the legs. It’s called peripheral artery disease (PAD). 

The expert, caring provider team at Pearl Cardio-Vascular of Inland Empire provides advanced PAD treatment, so patients can find relief from uncomfortable symptoms, and very importantly, reduce their heart attack and stroke risk. 

We strive to build a relationship based on trust and dedicate ourselves to educating you about PAD and your health. 

With PAD, time is of the essence

When you consider problems as serious and life-threatening as stroke and heart attack, it’s no wonder your doctor wants you to be aware of both the obvious symptoms and early, subtler PAD warning signs. The earlier you get treated, the better, of course.

One notable challenge with PAD is that many people may be living with it but be completely unaware, since PAD can do its damage while revealing no overt symptoms. Up to half of PAD sufferers don’t have indications.

When symptoms do arise, they may seem to come from everyday living until they’re serious enough to arouse suspicion. By then, an artery may have narrowed by 60%.

PAD signs include:

• Leg or buttocks pain or cramping that flares when you’re active, as opposed to resting
• A burning feeling or ache in your toes and feet when you lie down flat
• A sensation of your legs feeling heavy
• Toe and foot numbness or tingling
• Your feet feeling unnaturally cold
• A white or bluish tinge of the skin on your legs and feet; also, the skin can look shiny
• Toe or foot wounds or sores that aren’t healing properly
• Bulging veins
• Hair loss on the legs or arms
• An increase in skin or soft tissue infections
• Sexual dysfunction

Although PAD sufferers can experience a combination of symptoms, the ones that show up earliest tend to be pain or cramps when you walk (claudication) and achy feet when you’re lying down. Don’t discount these symptoms.

What puts you at risk for PAD?

Shockingly, a full 80% of people diagnosed with PAD are former or current smokers. Just as alarming, smoking increases your PAD risk by a whopping 400% and hastens the onset of PAD symptoms by a full decade.

Other risk factors include:

• Living with diabetes
• Being 50 or over
• Having a family history of PAD
• Eating a diet high in saturated fats
• Abdominal obesity (where the weight is concentrated in your abdomen)
• Living with high blood pressure
• Getting insufficient exercise
• Having high cholesterol levels
• Having a blood clotting disorder

Additionally, if you have heart disease, you have a 1 in 3 chance of developing PAD, and having kidney disease is a PAD risk factor and a consequence.

These are ominous facts and statistics, but we present them to drill down on the importance of awareness and reporting your symptoms, even if they seem insignificant. 

Failing to get treatment for PAD means that arterial blockage increases, and this can lead to tissue death and the need for amputation of part or all of your foot or leg.

For us to arrive at a definitive PAD diagnosis, your provider — in addition to thoroughly evaluating you and having an in-depth discussion of your health history — determines your  ankle-brachial index (ABI). This test uses vascular ultrasound to compare the blood pressure in an arm to that of your ankle.  

Hopeful treatments for PAD

Your Pearl Cardio-Vascular of Inland Empire provider can offer a combination of treatments for PAD, and some involve lifestyle changes. They may urge you to exercise more, lose weight, and focus on improving your diet by steering clear of foods like red meat and cheese. Also, if you smoke, you need to stop as soon as possible. 

Effective management of any other chronic conditions you live with is also essential. For example, you need to monitor and control your blood pressure, or if you live with diabetes, you must keep an eye on your blood glucose levels. 

You may be a candidate for a revascularization procedure if your provider finds that your PAD blockage is quite severe. Removing dangerous blockages and restoring your blood flow eases your symptoms and is quite effective at preventing serious PAD consequences.

If you’ve been experiencing leg pain or cramping, especially when you walk or are active, don’t delay. Call our Chino or Pomona office to set up an appointment and get evaluated for PAD. You may also book an appointment online.