Peripheral Artery Disorder
Peripheral artery disorder refers to conditions of blood vessels that are located outside your brain and heart. Often, they’re triggered by fatty deposit buildup in your arteries. PAD causes blood vessels to narrow, restricting blood flow to various parts and organs of the body, including the arms, stomach, kidneys, and legs. Over eight million Americans are affected by the disease, impacting twelve to twenty percent of people over sixty in the United States.
Experts believe that many who suffer from PAD are unaware that they’ve got the condition since it may present symptoms. However, those who experience the symptoms may have hair loss, intermittent claudication, leg weakness, cold feelings on the feet or leg, tingling or numbness of the legs, brittle toenails, ulcers and sores on their feet and legs that heal slowly, and erectile dysfunction, to cite some examples.
The treatments many healthcare providers recommend are regular exercise, healthy dietary adjustments and changes, and tobacco use cessation. Pentoxifylline and cilostazol may also be advised for those suffering from intermittent claudication. While it isn’t always possible to prevent PAD from occurring, addressing risk factors like lifestyle choices may allow you to delay its onset, if not avoid it.
