Peripheral Vascular Disease (PVD)
Peripheral vascular disease, also called peripheral artery disease (PAD), is a circulatory condition where narrowed blood vessels reduce blood flow to your limbs. Most commonly, PVD affects the legs, causing leg pain when walking (claudication).
Symptoms
Common symptoms of PVD include:
- Painful cramping in your legs or arms during activity
- Leg numbness or weakness
- Coldness in your lower leg or foot
- Sores or wounds on your legs or feet that won't heal
- Color changes in your legs
- Shiny skin on your legs
- Weak or absent pulse in your legs or feet
Risk Factors
PVD shares many risk factors with coronary artery disease, including smoking, diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and increasing age. People with PVD are at higher risk for heart attack and stroke.
Diagnosis and Treatment
We use ankle-brachial index (ABI) testing, ultrasound, and angiography to diagnose PVD. Treatment includes lifestyle modifications (especially quitting smoking), medications to improve blood flow and reduce symptoms, supervised exercise programs, and in some cases, angioplasty or bypass surgery to restore blood flow.
