Peripheral vascular disease (PVD, also known as peripheral artery disease or peripheral arterial disease, is a condition that often affects the blood vessels in the legs and arms. PVD is a serious condition that can lead to other health problems making it a medical emergency. This is why you should learn more about it to make it easier to manage.
Thankfully, we will take a more in-depth look at PVD, including its causes, risk factors, signs, and symptoms in this article, so you’ll know how to improve your vascular health and prevent this disease. Read on for more eye-opening information.
First, What Is Peripheral Vascular Disease?
Peripheral vascular disease, or PVD, is a blood circulation disorder that causes the blood vessels that carry blood from your heart to your legs and arms to become narrowed or blocked. When this happens, blood flow to the arms and legs reduces, causing pain, fatigue, numbness, and difficulty walking.
PVD can affect any blood vessel outside the heart and brain, including the veins, arteries, or lymphatic vessels. However, the arteries are most commonly affected, so PVD is also called peripheral artery disease (PAD). Organs supplied by these vessels, such as the brain, heart, stomach, intestines, and kidneys, may not get enough blood flow for proper function. If the disease progresses, it may cut off blood flow to the organs, and the tissues will die and fail.
What Causes Peripheral Vascular Disease?
PAD is primarily caused by atherosclerosis, the build-up of fatty plaque in the arteries. Plaque is made of fatty substances, cholesterol, and other substances. Over time, these substances can accumulate on the walls of your artery, eventually hardening and narrowing the artery walls, reducing blood flow and increasing the risk of a partial or complete blockage.
Other causes of PVD may include:
- Blood clots
- Diabetes
- Infection
- Injury to the arms or legs
- Irregular anatomy of muscles or ligaments
- Inflammation of the arteries
- Emotional stress
- Cold temperatures
What Are the Risk Factors for Peripheral Ventricular Disease?
A risk factor increases your chance of developing a disease, and tobacco use is the most potent risk factor for PAD. Research shows that 80% of people with PAD used to smoke or currently smoke. It is proven that tobacco use increases the risk of PAD by four times.
Another common risk factor is age. As we age, our arteries become less flexible, increasing their risk of damage and plaque build-up. People aged 50 and older have a higher risk of developing PAD. According to the Centres for Disease Control (CDC), 12 – 20% of adults aged 60 and older get PAD. This percentage equates to 8.5 million people in the US.
Regardless of your sex, you’re at risk of developing PVD if you have the following:
- A sedentary lifestyle
- Abdominal obesity
- A blood clotting disorder
- Diabetes
- Kidney disease
- A personal or family history of heart or blood vessel disease, stroke, high blood pressure (hypertension), or high cholesterol (hyperlipidaemia).
You’re also at risk of PVD if you live in a cold climate, work with vibrating tools and machinery for prolonged periods, or are frequently excessively stressed.
The Signs and Symptoms of PVD
Often, a person with PVD is asymptomatic, especially during the early stages of the disease, but as it progresses, they may experience painful cramping in the legs. Almost always, symptoms are a result of the lack of oxygen and nutrients in tissues due to decreased blood flow.
The most common symptom of PVD is a dull, painful cramp in the leg triggered by physical activity such as walking or climbing the stairs and relieved by rest (intermittent claudication). The symptoms occur more frequently in the legs than in the arms because the arteries in the legs are further from the heart. IC generally occurs in the calves (lower leg), thighs, buttocks, or hips.
Other symptoms of PVD may include:
- Muscle fatigue or heaviness in the legs
- Coldness in your lower legs or feet
- Thin, pale, or shiny skin on the feet
- Reddish-blue discolouration of the legs or feet
- Hair loss on the legs
- Weak or absent pulses in the feet
- Sores or ulcers on the legs or feet that don’t heal. (Vascular ulcers)
- Dead skin tissue due to lack of blood flow (Gangrene)
Having pain in your legs while at rest is a sign of a more severe blockage. It is imperative to talk to a healthcare provider if you’re having any of these symptoms above so they can start treatment as soon as possible. Early detection and treatment are crucial to preventing complications like a heart attack, stroke, or, worse, amputation.
What Are the Treatments for Peripheral Vascular Disease?
Treatments for PVA depend on the condition’s severity and underlying cause. Here are some common treatments for PVA.
- Medications: Antiplatelet agents (aspirin), cholesterol-lowering drugs, blood pressure medications, and medications that relax the blood vessel walls can improve blood flow and reduce the risk of PVD.
- Angioplasty: This procedure involves inserting a catheter (long hollow tube) fitted with a balloon at its tip into the damaged blood vessel through a small incision, usually in the leg, and then inflating the balloon to widen the blood vessel and restore blood flow.
- Atherectomy: This procedure involves using a small scalpel-like instrument to “shave” away the fatty obstructions (plaque) from the artery and restore blood flow.
- Vascular bypass surgery: During this procedure, a healthy blood vessel from another part of the body is used to bypass the blocked or narrowed blood vessel and restore blood flow.
What Are the Complications of Peripheral Vascular Disease?
Complications from untreated PVD can be severe and even life-threatening. These complications include:
- Tissue death (gangrene) can lead to limb amputation
- Slow-healing wounds
- Impotence
- Severe pain and discomfort in the affected extremity that restricts mobility
- Life-threatening infections of the bones and blood
- Stroke
Lifestyle Changes You Can Make to Prevent PVA
Making lifestyle changes can improve the symptoms and lower your risk of developing PVD. These changes include:
- Quitting smoking
- Eating a healthy diet that’s high in fibre and low in saturated fat
- Maintaining a healthy weight
- Exercising regularly, at least 30 minutes a day, five times a week
- Meditating to keep your stress level low
- Practicing regular foot care and taking care of injuries properly, especially if you have diabetes
- Monitoring and controlling your blood sugar level if diabetic
- Managing high blood pressure and high cholesterol adequately
Conclusion
If you feel at risk or you’re noticing the signs and symptoms of peripheral ventricular disease, it is best to book an appointment with a varicose vein specialist or vascular surgeon, so they can help you find the most appropriate treatment for you and start as soon as possible. Also, the tips discussed in this article will help you greatly if you stick to them.
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