Peripheral Arterial Disease – Significant Symptoms and Causes

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Arterial Disease

Peripheral Arterial Disease or PAD is a common condition, which arises due to circulatory problems. In this, the narrow arteries cause reduced blood flow to the limbs. On the development of this disease, the legs and arms don’t receive enough blood flow to carry out daily activities. Due to this, you may experience pain in your legs on walking which is also referred to as claudication. It can also be a sign of fat deposits in your arteries. It reduces the blood flow to the legs and arms by narrowing your arteries. Davenport’s peripheral arterial disease can be treated by exercising, a healthy diet, and avoiding taking tobacco in any form.

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Symptoms of PAD

Many people don’t experience any symptoms with PAD while some may have pain while walking. This symptom includes pain and cramps in the legs and arms when you are involved in any physical activity. The pain may disappear after some time and even after taking a rest for some time. The location of the narrowing artery decides the location of the pain. The most common area is the pain in the calves. The pain may vary from mild to noticeable discomfort based on the severity of the problem. In the worst case, it will be difficult for you to walk and carry out routine activities. Some of the symptoms are mentioned below:

  • Leg weakness and numbness.
  • Painful cramps on leg muscles, hips, calves, and arms.
  • Weaker pulse in legs, feet, or arms.
  • Pain when using arms such as lifting, knitting, writing, and performing any manual task.

The pain may persist even after taking a rest if the problem gets worse. You may feel some relief when hanging your legs on the edge of the bedside.

Causes of PAD

The major cause of this disease is the fat deposits on the arteries, which narrow down the blood flow. Some other reasons may include inflammation in the blood vessels and injury to your limbs. The risk increases for people with heart diseases, high blood pressure, smoking, diabetes, high cholesterol, and obesity.

People should stick to a healthy lifestyle if they want to get rid of this problem. It is suggested to get in touch with a healthcare provider who can approve performing exercises for 30-45 minutes on a daily basis. Avoiding tobacco, alcohol, and eating fast food can also make a great difference in reducing the risk of peripheral arterial disease. Other medical conditions such as high blood pressure and sugar must be under control.