Peripheral Artery Disease: More Than Just an Ache

Those pains and cramps you feel in your legs when you climb stairs, exercise, or simply walk may be more than your old bones talking. They may be your muscles’ way of signaling the brain that they’re not getting enough blood during exercise.

If that’s the case, you’re at an increased risk of heart attack, stroke, and amputation of your lower limbs.

This condition, known as peripheral artery disease, or PAD, occurs when fatty deposits build up on the walls of arteries outside of the heart — typically those supplying the pelvis, legs, feet, and arms with blood. The pain usually subsides when we stop moving because less active muscles require less blood nourishment.

PAD afflicts 8 million people and its prevalence increases with age. However, only 26 percent of adults 50 and older — those at greatest risk — are aware of PAD, according to the American Heart Association.

“PAD is often under-recognized because so many of us ignore early signs or we simply are not active enough to have symptoms,” says Newsmax health contributor Dr. Peter Hibberd.

A study reported two years ago at the Canadian Cardiovascular Congress found that 5 percent of the 362 adults over 50 screened for PAD had it, and 80 percent of them had been unaware of their condition. Study participants were tested by comparing blood pressure in the leg to that of the arm.

Dr. Ross Tsuyuki of the University of Alberta in Edmonton, who worked on the study, recommends that people at highest risk of PAD — those who already have suffered a heart attack or stroke — be screened annually.

"The second highest priority would be people middle-aged and beyond who are at high risk for heart disease and stroke, such as people with high blood pressure, diabetes, and high cholesterol," he told Reuters Health.

In addition to leg pain, other PAD symptoms include leg sores that don’t heal, toe pain at night, and a feeling of coldness or numbness in one or both legs.

Some risk factors for PAD, such as aging and family history, cannot be controlled; however, many others can be, Hibberd notes.

“The secret to treatment is first-line prevention by avoiding smoking cigarettes and reducing risk factors for vascular disease (such as lipid disorders) as much as possible as early as possible,” he says.

According to the American Heart Association, cigarette smokers have four times the risk of having PAD than people who don’t smoke. What’s more, regular physical activity is important in decreasing the risk of heart attack and stroke, and it helps increase the distance people with PAD can walk pain-free, the AHA says.

In addition to regular exercise, cholesterol-lowering medications and other drugs, as well as lifestyle changes are prescribed to reduce PAD symptoms and prevent its progression. Also, ginkgo biloba, a popular herbal supplement said to enhance memory, has been shown to help lower the risk of PAD. Ginkgo has flavonoids — antioxidants that may work to keep blood vessels functioning well. Research has also shown that ginkgo may prevent blood platelets from clotting, like aspirin does.