Recognizing the Signs of Peripheral Artery Disease

Affecting over 12 million people across the country, peripheral artery disease (PAD) restricts fresh blood flow to your extremities, most often your legs. Many people with PAD are unaware they have the condition, and it can often be undiagnosed. 

When you have risk factors or symptoms of PAD, a proactive visit to Advanced Vascular Cardiac & Veins in Miami, Florida, is in order. Interventional cardiologist Dr. Enrique Hernandez specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of peripheral artery disease, so you’re in good hands when seeking the correct solution for you. 

What you need to know about PAD

PAD occurs due to the buildup of plaque on arterial walls, called atherosclerosis. This narrows the passage of blood, complicating your blood supply. PAD most often affects the legs and feet, parts of your body that can also be strongly affected by vein issues.  

PAD often shows no symptoms in the early stages. Without detection and treatment, this can lead to an increased risk of heart attack and stroke. Knowing and understanding the signs of PAD and its risk factors can help you get the prompt treatment you need to minimize its impact on your health. 

The risk factors

If you’re at risk of heart disease, then you’re also at risk of developing PAD. Common risk factors include: 

• Chronic kidney disease
• Diabetes
• High blood pressure
• High cholesterol
• Smoking

Smoking and diabetes are the strongest PAD risk factors. Smokers are up to 4 times as likely to have PAD than nonsmokers and those without diabetes. 

Recognizing the signs of PAD

There are 6 key warning signs you may notice if you’re developing or have PAD. These are: 

Claudication

Aches, heaviness, or pain in your calves, hips, or thighs when walking is a classic sign of PAD, particularly when your discomfort eases when you rest. You may also experience muscle cramps while you’re active. 

Weak pulse in the feet and legs

Dr. Hernandez can detect this during a physical examination. Weak pulse is typically one of the first detectable signs of PAD. 

Slow-healing sores

Minor cuts and scrapes on your feet or lower legs can take significantly longer to heal than in other parts of your body, due to the compromised blood flow, which brings the raw materials for your body’s repair system. This can be a danger sign for PAD, particularly for diabetics.

Numbness or weakness

Feeling sensations like numbness and tingling in your legs is normal on occasion. However, when it becomes chronic, usually in just one leg, it could be telling you that PAD is present. Similarly, one leg may not feel as strong. 

Cold skin

A feeling of coldness or a change in the appearance or color of one of your feet, could indicate PAD. Your skin could be blue or pale in color, with a shiny appearance compared with other parts of your body. 

Hair and nail changes

Reduced blood flow can choke the supply to hair follicles, resulting in hair loss in your feet and legs. Your toenails may change too, becoming thicker and taking longer to grow. 

Many of the signs of PAD are easy to dismiss as “just getting older.” However, the ankle-brachial index (ABI) test is a simple and non-invasive blood pressure reading that’s an accurate indicator that you may have PAD. 

Contact Advanced Vascular Cardiac & Veins today, online or by phone, to schedule an exam at one of our two Miami, Florida, locations.